Have you ever felt a burning or hot feeling in your neck, shoulders, or back that doesn’t go away? You may wonder, “Can muscle knots cause a burning sensation?” The answer is yes. Muscle knots, also known as trigger points, can lead to a burning feeling that can affect your daily life. At Proactive Health Richmond Physiotherapy Clinic, we help you understand why this happens and what you can do to find relief.
What Are Muscle Knots?
Muscle knots are tight, sensitive spots within a muscle. They often feel like small lumps or bands under your skin and can be tender to touch. These knots form when muscle fibers tighten and do not fully relax, often due to stress, poor posture, overuse, or injury.
Muscle knots can:
- Cause localized pain and stiffness
- Refer pain to other areas (for example, a knot in your shoulder may cause pain down your arm)
- Limit your movement and flexibility
Why Do Muscle Knots Cause a Burning Sensation?
A burning sensation from muscle knots happens for several reasons:
- Reduced Blood Flow: Tight muscle fibers can limit blood flow, leading to a buildup of waste products that irritate nerve endings and cause a burning feeling.
- Nerve Irritation: Trigger points can press on nearby nerves, leading to burning, tingling, or numbness in the area or nearby regions.
- Referred Pain Patterns: Some trigger points refer burning or aching pain to other areas, making it feel like the burning is spreading.
The burning sensation can worsen with activity or when pressing on the knot and may improve with movement, heat, or gentle massage.
Common Areas Where Muscle Knots Cause Burning
Muscle knots can develop anywhere, but the burning sensation is most common in:
- Neck and Shoulders: Long periods of poor posture or stress can lead to knots that cause burning into the neck, shoulders, or arms.
- Upper Back: Sitting for long hours can create tightness and burning between your shoulder blades.
- Lower Back: Overuse, heavy lifting, or prolonged sitting can lead to muscle knots that cause a burning feeling in your lower back or hips.
- Glutes: Knots in the glute muscles can cause burning sensations down the leg, sometimes mimicking sciatica.
What Causes Muscle Knots?
Several factors contribute to muscle knots:
- Poor posture, such as slouching or looking down at devices
- Repetitive movements or overuse of certain muscles
- Prolonged sitting or standing without breaks
- Stress and tension leading to muscle clenching
- Dehydration and poor nutrition
- Lack of stretching or movement
Identifying the cause of your muscle knots can help prevent them from returning.
How to Know If Your Burning Sensation Is from Muscle Knots
You may have muscle knot-related burning if:
- The burning sensation is near areas where you feel tightness or lumps in your muscles.
- You feel muscle stiffness along with the burning.
- The burning improves with heat, massage, or gentle movement.
- Pressing on the knot increases or reproduces the burning feeling.
However, if you experience sudden, severe pain, weakness, numbness, or burning with fever, seek medical attention immediately, as these can be signs of other health conditions.
Treatment for Muscle Knots Causing Burning Sensation
At Proactive Health Richmond Physiotherapy Clinic, we offer several treatments to help relieve muscle knots and the burning sensation they cause.
Manual Therapy: Gentle massage, trigger point release, and myofascial release help loosen tight muscle fibers and improve blood flow to reduce burning and pain.
Dry Needling: We use thin, sterile needles to target trigger points, helping the muscle release tension and improve healing.
Stretching and Mobility Exercises: Guided stretches help lengthen tight muscles, reduce knots, and prevent further tightness.
Posture Education: We help you adjust your sitting, standing, and movement patterns to reduce stress on your muscles.
Strengthening Exercises: Weak muscles can lead to overuse of other muscles, causing knots. We create a personalized strengthening plan to restore muscle balance.
Heat Therapy: Applying heat can increase blood flow to tight areas, helping the muscle relax and easing the burning sensation.
Home Strategies to Ease Muscle Knots
In addition to professional treatment, you can try these at home:
- Apply a warm compress or heating pad for 15–20 minutes to the tight area.
- Use a foam roller or massage ball to gently apply pressure to the knot, holding for 20–30 seconds.
- Practice gentle stretching for the affected area to increase blood flow and reduce tightness.
- Stay hydrated to support muscle health.
- Take movement breaks during the day if you sit or stand for long periods.
- Practice deep breathing to help reduce stress-related tension.
Preventing Muscle Knots and Burning Sensation
To prevent future muscle knots and the burning they cause:
- Maintain good posture while sitting and standing.
- Take regular breaks to move and stretch during long periods of sitting or repetitive work.
- Stay active with regular exercise to keep muscles flexible and strong.
- Manage stress with relaxation techniques to prevent muscle clenching.
- Use proper techniques when lifting or performing repetitive tasks.
When to Seek Help
If your burning sensation persists despite home care, or if it limits your movement and daily activities, it may be time to seek help from a physiotherapist. We can help if you experience:
- Ongoing burning pain that does not improve
- Recurrent muscle knots in the same area
- Limited movement or stiffness
- Pain that affects your work, exercise, or sleep
Early treatment can help prevent worsening and support faster recovery.
Why Choose Proactive Health Richmond Physiotherapy Clinic
At Proactive Health Richmond Physiotherapy Clinic, we understand how muscle knots and the burning sensation they cause can affect your life. Our team provides:
- One-on-one personalized care
- Hands-on therapy to target knots and ease burning
- Dry needling for stubborn trigger points
- Guided exercises and posture support to prevent recurrence
- A clear plan to help you regain comfortable movement
We focus on finding the cause of your discomfort and providing practical solutions to help you feel your best.
Ready to Find Relief?
You don’t have to live with the burning discomfort of muscle knots. Our team at Proactive Health Richmond Physiotherapy Clinic is here to help you move freely and comfortably again.
Call us today to book your assessment and take the first step toward relief..
