The Tennis Ball Trick That Can Relieve Back, Neck Or Knee Pain In Seconds

If you constantly experience stiffness in your hands, your knees ache right after going for a long run or you just have a bad posture by spending hours hunched over your computer you might have the symptoms of a so called Myofascial pain. “Myofascial pain syndrome typically occurs after a muscle has been contracted repetitively, which puts pressure on sensitive points”.

Why a Tennis Ball?

Tennis ball with its rubbery elasticity allows our muscles to stretch out. That’s why it is good to use a tennis ball for pain relief. In the remaining part of this article we’ll look at some muscular trigger points in our body and in what way can we use a tennis ball to easily reverse the pain in these areas.

Strained Neck

After hours spent in the office the suboccipital and erector muscles tighten up With the help of this exercise you will stretch out these muscles soothing your neck before going to bed.

1. Lie face-up on the floor, with two tennis balls under the base of your skull.
2. Nod your head up and down, allowing the balls to nestle into the back of your neck.
3. After one minute, change direction by pivoting your head from side to side
4. Pivot your head to one side, and then nod while in the same position, repeat on the opposite side and nod in a different direction, altering for two minutes.

Uncomfortable Shoulders

This exercise will stretch out the rotator cuff muscles. These muscles are a groups of tendons that stabilize the shoulders. If you engage in repetitive activities such as lifting heavy objects or any other physical work this exercise will help you relieve tenderness in the shoulders.

1. Simply place one tennis ball behind the shoulder blade while lying face up on the floor.
2. There is no specific movement to this exercise; experiment with what relieves tenderness by rolling over the ball with your shoulder.

Tight Chest

As a result of everyday activities such as holding your phone or just sitting for hours you can have the feeling of compressed chest. This pain is very uncomfortable: you can experience problems in breathing as well as nervous system problems. You can decompress your chest by following these three steps.

1. Find a door or wall corner, and place a tennis ball below your clavicle. For one minute, breath deeply into the pressure of the ball.
2. Shift from side to side, and up and down, allowing the ball to move along the upper chest.
3. Move your arm and neck after doing this for a minute, to incorporate other muscular mobility and continue on both sides for another minute.

Sore Back

The way you sit, the position you sleep in or the shoes you wear can cause you a back pain. No matter what the cause is you can always use a tennis ball to release tension in your back. Just follow the steps:

1. Lie on your back over two balls between your ribs and your tailbone.
2. Shift your pelvis from side to side, allowing the balls to cross over your lower back
3. Slow down movement in stiffer areas of your back, and lighten pressure near the spine
4. Do this for up to five minutes while breathing deeply

Aching Hands

You can feel a great deal of tension in the flexor muscles of your fingers and palms if you are engaged in writing for hours. There are also some other types of activities that can drain these muscles but writing is the most common one. Try the next exercise:

1. On a table, place your hand on top of the tennis ball, while placing the other hand on top of that for added pressure.
2. Press the ball while holding it steady for one minute, leaning your entire body weight into the ball.
3. After a minute, move the ball vertically and horizontally, so it stretches out in all directions of your palm. Continue this for three minutes, and then repeat this steps with the other hand.

Bad Posture

We can all relate to this problem. As a result of this age of technology we live in we have all lost track of how we sit, stand and sleep. Unfortunately this can have long-term repercussions on our spine and muscles as well as short-term pain.

1. While lying face up on the floor, placing two balls on either side of your upper back. Place your hands behind your head, as if doing a sit up, and lift your head off the floor.
2. Bring your chin toward your chest, then lift your hips and take three deep breaths
3. Breathe deeply and steadily, while rolling the balls up and down your upper back for up to four minutes.

 Cramped Knees

This exercise will provide an internal stretch in the joint capsule of the knee. The ball is a spacer to create traction between the thigh, kneecap, and lower leg bones.

With the help of this exercise you can get an internal stretch in the joint capsule of the knee.

1. Sit in a firm chair, and nestle the ball behind your bent knee, close to the side of the knee.
2. Contract your muscles against the ball ten times, and relax your muscles ten times.
3. Repeat on both sides ten times.

Sore Feet and Plantar Fasciitis 

This is probably the most common muscle pain. It is usually a result of spending long period of time standing on our feet or wearing unsupportive shoes. Painful plantar fasciitis and upper back pain are usually the result. The flexibility of the tennis ball is perfect for stretching out your feet.

1. Simply stand on the ball, with the tennis ball under your heel.
2. Roll the ball up and down so it covers from your heel, up into your arch and extending to the ball of your foot.
3. Repeat for one minute on either foot.

Conclusion

Using a tennis ball  is a very effective method for muscle relief for almost every type of muscle. Even though there are various ways you can prevent pain, the tennis ball is an easy, cheap and quick fix for sore muscles.

Source: www.healthy-holistic-living.com