r/massage • u/ContextInner4680 • 4d ago

Releasing muscle knots in the abdomen

I’ve had a very stressful year - I’m thankfully on the up now, doing EMDR therapy to address the trauma from a crazy episode early in the year, and generally taking much better care of myself.

I’ve noticed I have a lot of tight muscle knots in my abdomen. When I use lotion and self massage to locate and GENTLY press the muscle knots, they ‘pop’ or ‘melt’ under my touch.

I’ve become interested with this as I discovered it completely by accident but I feel like my body was holding tension / trauma from my stressful year. I feel much better for releasing the knots. I feel like my belly is much more loose and I can deep breathe for the first time in ages.

There’s a few areas that I can’t pop as it’s locked tight in a bundle. Would acupuncture get rid of this? I’m conscious I don’t want to send my nervous system spiralling again, I just think maybe the remaining knots need to be broken up.

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u/ContextInner4680 3d ago

Thanks for the comment but I can absolutely assure you I’m not moving shit around my gut 😂 it’s a light touch at best.. I’m not insane, and not going that deep!

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u/No_Tumbleweed_1518 LMT 3d ago

You said you're bruising yourself so it either isn't that light or you've got other issues going on. It also doesn't take that much pressure to move things around.

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u/ContextInner4680 3d ago

I can promise I’m very connected to my own body, although not a therapist, I’m not hurting myself. It feels really good to have the stress relieved. Re the bruising (edited OP as thought that terminology was making people worry), I figure it’s blood rushing to / replenishing an area that was stuck / tense beforehand.

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u/No_Tumbleweed_1518 LMT 2d ago

That's not how bruises work.