Painful muscle “knots” between your shoulder blades and your spine can keep you awake at night. They can hold your attention all day, too. What are those “knots” and how can you get rid of them?

Muscles get unhappy for a variety of reasons. Most often the reason has something to do with positions. If you sleep in a certain way, work in a specific way, drive or watch television or use the computer mouse in certain positions, your muscles can get unhappy. Then they complain. You know they are complaining when you have pain.

Muscles are responsible for most pain. A muscle “knot” is an area that has contracted itself or gone into a type of spasm. Sometimes it is such a large area of contracted muscle that someone else can actually feel it, too.

A contraction can occur when a muscle is held in a shortened (contracted) position for long periods. It can also occur from being over-stretched. Muscles like to be in neutral, balanced states.

So how can you get rid of these painful spasms in your upper back?

1. Figure out what causes your knot. Painful areas between your spine and shoulder blade are often caused by too much reaching or stretching. This causes the muscles in the front of your body to shorten. They pull on your shoulder blade. It pulls on the muscles that go toward your spine and causes a contraction.

2. Teach yourself how to have a strong back. Weak back muscles are much more likely to develop this type of spasm. Strong back muscles can “hold their own” better.

3. Correct the positions that cause your symptoms.

4. Consider massage therapy but be sure that the therapist understands how bodies actually work. Some do but lots don’t. It may not have been part of their training or mind-set.

5. Educate yourself so you understand how your body works.

Your muscles don’t like being knotted up but they need help from their owner (that would be you) to get better.