Angie Sage - Tennis Ball Self-Massage

Tennis Ball Self-Massage

Effective Trigger Point Therapy to Relieve Your Muscle and Joint Pain

Copyright 2016 by Angie Sage

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher or copyright owner.

Limits of Liability, Disclaimer of Warranties & Terms of Use

This book is a general educational health-related information product. As an express condition to reading this book, you understand and agree to following terms. The information and advice contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with a healthcare professional.

The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, or procedures discussed in this book. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this book, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. All matters pertaining to your physical health should be supervised by a health care professional

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D o you ever have really stressful days that make you long for a good massage? Do you constantly wish to visit a spa but simply never have the time? Do you know someone who gives great massages but he/she is simply nowhere to be found on that crucial moment when you need it? There is a way for you to have your very own massage buddy without having to spend much money. Furthermore, this massage buddy can please you at any time and any place that you wish. If you are thinking that this is exactly what you need, maybe its time that you consider doing a tennis ball self-massage! All you need is a tennis ball and you can massage all the aches away!

Massage refers to the manual manipulation of body tissues. This involves applying pressure on the different parts of the body stationary or moving to enhance relaxation, health and well-being. It can be done manually or with the use of a massaging device. You see, there are different ways to apply pressure on your body. You can use your hands, your fingers, your elbows, your knees, your forearms, or even your feet. Some people use electric massaging devices, others use manual massaging devices, and some people like to get creative and grab random objects around them which they can use to apply pressure on their body. It can be a stick, a bottle, or a ball. There are endless possibilities!

Now, are you wondering how a tennis ball can help ease your sore muscles? A tennis ball massage is an innovative massage method. Basically, the idea is to put the ball between your body and another object - this can be the floor or the wall among other things and to push your body against it, gradually applying pressure and pressing on sore spots. A lot of people who opt to try this do so because one can use it for a self-massage and unlike electric massage devices a tennis ball is fairly cheap. Furthermore, the ball is small enough to fit in your bag or purse, and so you can take it with you all the time, allowing you to do a self-massage anytime and anywhere that you need it. So take that, its a cheap yet very effective way to get rid of sore muscles!

Lets start with the basics. If you are planning to try the tennis ball self-massage, the first thing that youll need is of course a tennis ball. Maybe you can get two or three just to be sure. Next, find a flat and hard surface you can lie on. If youre uncomfortable on the bare floor, you can always use a carpet, a yoga mat or any exercise mat. In some variations of the tennis ball self-massage you may lean on the wall instead of lying on the floor. Go ahead and look around your house! Move some furniture around if you need to and make sure that you have a decent space on the wall where you can lean on. Finally, figure out which part of your body you wish to massage. There are other things that you can utilize along with the tennis ball, but well get to that later.

Trigger point or muscle knots refers to compressed muscle tissues. These commonly cause aches and pain in different parts of the body. Applying pressure on common trigger points in the head, neck, back, etc. can give you a great deal of satisfaction as these are usually the sweet spots of massage therapy. But how do these trigger points occur? Your muscle may contract when it is overloaded. This can be due to a physical trauma or an injury, repetitive stress on the muscle, or sudden muscle movements. Trigger points usually occur in similar areas, and so, in tennis ball self-massage, you can take advantage of these trigger points to get optimum results.

H eadaches and neck pain are fairly common after a long day. Daily stressors like hunching over a computer and staying on your work desk all day may lead to the tightening of muscles in the upper shoulder and neck causing trigger points which result to painful muscle imbalance. This is where your tennis ball comes in! When you have headaches and neck pain, your trapezius and levator scapula muscles are inflamed. Therefore, these are the trigger points which you would like to target with your tennis ball.

Y our trapezius muscle is easy to locate as it is a big muscle in your upper back. To find it, put your hands on your shoulders right at the side of your neck. That bulge that you are touching is the muscle you are looking for. Any muscle compression in the upper and middle part of your trapezius muscle may radiate up to your head, behind your skull, to your temples and behind your eyes, thus causing headaches and migraines.

The levator scapula muscle is the muscle that you use when you are elevating your shoulder blades. To find it, put your hands on both sides of your neck and feel for the spot where the muscles in your neck connects nicely with your shoulder blades. This is the spot that usually hurts when you are having a stiff neck.

Now that you have found the trigger points, its time to massage yourself with your handy tennis ball! There are different techniques on how to use a tennis ball for self-massage depending on the area that you wish to massage. Go grab your ball and lets get started!

1. To target your trapezius muscle, first, lie down on the floor and relax.
2. When you are ready, locate the bulge in your upper back and right beside your neck which we earlier identified as the trapezius muscle.
3. Place your tennis ball under that area and slowly start moving your body, making small circles as you go.
4. Push your body against the ball until you find the right pressure and gradually rotate and glide until you find sore points.
5. Hold the ball under sore points for about 30 seconds or until you release the muscle knots.
6. Just keep moving, gliding, rotating and sliding in all directions until you are completely satisfied.

T hat massage must feel great; youre off on a great start! Now, lets explore other ways to use a tennis ball for self-massage. In this next part, you will find instructions on different ways to massage the neck area.

1. To massage your levator scapula, recall the position of this muscle and try to locate where the muscle attaches to your shoulder blade. This is where you can usually find trigger points or muscle knots.