How can rolling around on tennis balls help relieve lower back pain?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz answered:Use your spare tennis balls for something other than your dog Bluto's game of fetch. Put one or two tennis balls in a sock. Put it under the painful spot in your back and lie on them. It works like an ultra-focused deep tissue massage on the area, sans Sven the masseuse.
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Use your spare tennis balls for something other than your dog Bluto's game of fetch. Put one or two tennis balls in a sock. Put it under the painful spot in your back and lie on them. It works like an ultra-focused deep tissue massage on the area,... More -
Dr. Ronald Tolchin of Baptist Health South Florida answered:Massage can help relieve back pain or spasms. Lying on tennis balls is a common method that replicates a massage to undo "knots" in the muscle that can cause spasms in the lower back.
Place a tennis ball on a hard surface, such as a hardwood or concrete floor. Use a new tennis ball and preferably only one ball to treat a trouble spot. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Lie back onto the tennis ball so it is on the knot, or muscle spasm, in your back but not directly in the center of the back. It should be off to the side.
You should lie on the tennis ball for about five minutes, or until your spasm has eased or stopped. Apply a heat pack to the area that you just treated with the tennis ball. Heat will allow the muscle spasm to relax. See your doctor if your back pain or spasm does not improve.Helpful? 2 people found this helpfulMassage can help relieve back pain or spasms. Lying on tennis balls is a common method that replicates a massage to undo "knots" in the muscle that can cause spasms in the lower back. Place a tennis ball on a hard surface, such as a hardwood or... More -
Maryanne Lane LMT NCTMB answered:It is not so much the rolling as it is finding a sore spot and applying pressure. the ball acts as a trigger pointer or where a massage therapist would stop to work.
By applying pressure you help release the lactic acids stored in the muscle which is what is creating the muscle stiffness. I suggest heating the area first then use the balls and then stretch out the muscle. If a certain movement hurts you, then do the heat, ball and then do that movement slowly.
If there are a lot of tight muscles take a hot shower and go get a deep tissue massage.
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulIt is not so much the rolling as it is finding a sore spot and applying pressure. the ball acts as a trigger pointer or where a massage therapist would stop to work. By applying pressure you help release the lactic acids stored in the muscle which... More -
Dr. Denise Chranowski answered:We actually use Lacrosse balls in our office since they are a bit firmer. The rationale is that you can hit 'trigger points' in the low back muscles, which are painful knots in your muscles. By lying on or rolling on the balls you will break up adhesions in the muscle fibers, you will get additional blood flow to the muscle tissue and you also will create a small localized inflammatory response. All of these things will aid in the healing of the muscle fiber. We recommend that you hit each point for at least two minutes. And many muscles get trigger points so have fun rolling away.
Helpful? 1 person found this helpfulWe actually use Lacrosse balls in our office since they are a bit firmer. The rationale is that you can hit 'trigger points' in the low back muscles, which are painful knots in your muscles. By lying on or rolling on the balls you will break up... More
