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Try these manoeuvres that take a new angle at an old knot…

For some of us, the only kinky thing we’ve got going is our muscles. Those tension knots you feel begin when calcium and other minerals collect in your muscles and radiate pain. You can release the snarl by putting pressure on its trigger point, says Amber Davies, coauthor of The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief.

1. Headaches: Base of Skull

Place your fingertips on the base of your skull, where your neck muscles attach. Use the heel of your other hand to support your fingers and exert pressure. Relax your neck and let your head rest in your hands as you rub in small strokes across the muscle fibers.

2. Arch/Heel Pain: Calf

Sit on the floor or in a chair and cross your legs so that your right calf rests on your left knee. Slowly move your calf back and forth across your knee without sliding the skin, using the knee to work deep into the muscle.

READ MORE: The 4 Tightest Muscles – And Exactly How To Stretch Them

3. Lower Back Pain: Glutes

Locate the outer knobs of your sacrum (the bottom of your spine). Slowly rub the spot with a tennis ball against a wall a couple of times a day until the knot is gone.

4. Neck Pain: Upper Back

Place your fingers on the muscle between your neck and shoulders (your trapezius) and knead up and down with short firm strokes so you work across the muscle fibers.

5. Hand Pain: Upper Forearm

Sit in a chair and rest your forearm on your thigh. With a loose fist, place your knuckles at the top of your forearm, just below the elbow crease, and rub with short strokes. Kneading with your knuckles allows you to penetrate deeply without tiring your fingers.

Stretch out your muscles with this 3-minute yoga warm-up. Plus: 4 ridiculously simple stretches that do insane things for your body.