Need to relax your back? Massaging it with tennis balls is an easy and pleasurable way to release muscle tension and relieve pain.
Sometimes circumstances do not allow us to access a professional massage. Nor do we always have a close person who can give it to us and we cannot always easily access some points of our body, especially the back. For all these cases it is very practical to resort to one or two tennis balls.
Placed between the back and the wall, or between the back and the floor, and rolling them through the areas of the back where more tension accumulates, a pleasant massage is achieved.
Another option is to put the ball or two balls inside a sports sock and, standing and with your back to a wall, let it hang behind your back. It is pressed against the wall, up and down (flexing the legs gently) and to one side and the other. The advantage of using a sock is that it is possible to handle the balls better.
You can also roll the ball through the soles of the feet, the calves or the front of the shoulder, in the latter case placing us facing the wall. The possibilities are many.
HOW TO MASSAGE THE BACK WITH TENNIS BALLS
This first exercise is designed to relax the back in general with two balls:
- Lying on your back, with your knees bent and the soles of your feet resting on the floor, place two tennis balls (or similar) on one side of the spine, at the height of the shoulder blade. You can also put the two balls in a sock to prevent them from separating. Notice how the tension is released as you take four or five deep breaths.
- Then slide the balls to the other side of the spine, at the same height, and breathe four or five more times. You can move your back gently.
HOW TO USE THE BALL WHEN THERE IS PAIN
If you notice stiff dorsal muscles, you can give yourself a massage by lying on your side on the floor:
- Place a tennis ball under your armpit
- Roll the ball along the sore muscle.
When you feel any discomfort in your upper back or shoulder, try this more specific massage:
- Lie on your back and place a tennis ball under the point that bothers you.
- Slowly release the weight of your upper back to the ground, on the ball. Try to relax in the posture.
- Take a few deep breaths. Little by little the pain will decrease.