Relieve The Knot In Your Back With A Tennis Ball Massage
Getting a knot in your back can make it hard to focus on anything else that you are supposed to be doing. Here are a few pointers on how to use a tennis ball to relieve that knot in your back.
The Basic Goal Of The Tennis Ball Massage Trick
The basic goal of using a tennis ball to treat a knot is in your back is that a tennis ball is just the right size to put under that knot that is bugging you when you are lying on your back or when you have your back against a wall.
If positioned correctly, a tennis ball should help you apply a little pressure to the knot on your back. Often, you just need to apply pressure to a knot in order to break it up. Ideally, apply a tennis ball to your back should result in good pain; it should not leave you wincing or struggling in pain.
Once the tennis ball is in position, you just need to relax your body, embrace the good pain, and feel the pain lessen in intensity. A tennis ball should help you melt away the pain in your back.
How To Use A Tennis Ball To Relieve Back Pain
You can either lay down or you can put your back against the wall for a tennis ball massage. The key is to have a surface between your back and the tennis ball that will provide the tennis ball with a level of resistance. Once you have decided whether you want to lay down or stand, take the tennis ball and try to place it as close as you can to the spot on your back that is bugging you. When the tennis ball is in place, move it around until it is right on the spot.
You may experience a little bit of pain mixed with relief from the pressure the tennis ball is applying to your back. At this point in time, you need to focus on relaxing your muscles. If you keep your body stiff, this exercise will not work that well. How long you need to keep the tennis ball in place depends upon the knot in your back. Ideally, you should keep it in place until the pain has been greatly reduced and the tennis ball has broken up the knot. Depending on the size of the knot and how tight your muscles are, this could take a few seconds or a few minutes.
The pain from the knot may not completely disappear using this method, but it should be greatly reduced.
Stretch After Working On Each Knot
After you have worked on a knot and allowed some of the pain and tension to be released, you need to move your body and your back. Do a few simple back stretches; this will help your back muscles continue to loosen up and heal.
Work On A Few Knots At A time
If you have multiple knots in your back, you should only work on two or three knots at a time. You don't want to overwhelm and stress out the muscles in your back by working on too much all at once. Additionally, as the knots you work on heal, the other knots may heal or loosen up as well. Your back is one big interconnected muscles, so working on one area often impacts another area.
A tennis ball may not solve all of your back problems, but it is a great self-massage tool that can help you relieve some of the pain that you are feeling. After you have worked out your back muscles using this method, you can apply a little heat to your back in order to further relax your muscles and help them heal. You should also avoid any activity for the next day or so that will further stress out your back after you have been working on it.
If you need a more in-depth massage, visit SpineCare Chiropractic Daniel S. Wright, D.C.
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