I always recommend my clients massage themselves with a tennis ball as well as using a heat pack. I would like everybody to get a massage as often as possible, but I know the limitation. Massaging yourself every day would help you more than completely being dependent on massage sessions. I would also like you to be in charge of taking care of yourself, so don’t be lazy and ask your family members to do it.
I have introduced a few self-massage tools, but a tennis ball is actually versatile and inexpensive. It is good for massaging trigger points in your back, hip and buttocks. Although many instructions tell you to lie down on it, I would lean on a ball against a wall so that you have a complete control over the amount of pressure. If you lie on it, it’s difficult to roll the ball around, and it could be too painful for your condition. I also would put a ball in a sock so that you don’t have to pick it up every time the ball falls on the floor. It’s like scratching your back on the wall. Here is how it looks like.
If a tennis ball doesn’t give you enough pressure you want, you can try a smaller and firmer racquet ball. It has a grip, so you could use it without a sock. Or, if a tennis ball is too firm, you can try a softer squash ball. You might want to try with whatever ball you have at home first.
GUIDELINES
- Pressure: The sensation should be what we call “good pain” and NOT exceed a pain level of 7 on a scale of 1-10. If you can’t breath normally, you need to lighten up the pressure.
- Relax the whole body as much as possible and wait for the sensation to fade.
- Don’t overwork too long: Work on one spot only up to 12 strokes at a time. If you get sore or bruised next day, you work on it too much.
- Massage as often as possible (6-12 times a day)
The common trigger points in the back are located:
- Between the spine and the inner shoulder blade: trapezius, rhomboids, thoracic erectors
- In the middle of your shoulder blades: infraspinatus
- The outer edge of the shoulder blades close to the armpit: teres minor/major, lattisimus dorsi
I will show you more common trigger points in the hips and buttocks for lower back pain in the next post.