Now that you understand what features you should be looking for in a peanut massage ball, let’s take a look at some of the best balls on the market. Like the feet, the hips are an important area to maintain for overall body balance and alignment. You can either sit on the floor to treat these areas or stand up and roll against a wall to gain more control over the pressure.

Once you have adjusted yourself to achieve the right pressure, relax as much as possible and wait for the sensation to fade to about eighty percent of the original intensity. This is the “release”: a change in the physiological state of the tissues, or a “melting” of the knot, and/or just a sensory change, relief, a subjective experience of it easing. This can take anywhere from ten seconds to a few minutes. I’ll briefly introduce the (messy) biology of this below. Where to apply your tennis ballFoam rolling in particular is often faddishly associated with fascial release. Sheets and wrappings of connective tissue called fascia are considered an exciting frontier in massage therapy. Supposedly fascia can get tight and needs to be “released.” However, key examples of research either fail to support fascial therapy or actually undermine it — for instance, fascia is too tough to actually change. Fascia enthusiasm seems to be a fad. ( More about fascia.) Foam rolling is fine if you like the feeling, but the belief that the point is to manipulate fascia is nonsense. Trigger points aren’t exactly on solid scientific ground either, but in my opinion they are a much less ridiculous reason for massaging. Your shoulder blades and rotator cuffs will thank you for this two-part stretch. You may need to shift slightly to find the spots where you can feel your muscles knotted, so take your time. Another often-neglected spot is our calves, largely because a standard foam roller is simply too big to target these smaller muscle groups.

After doing this severaltimes, you may find that it gets pretty comfortable. When that happens, you cangraduate to the floor. Foam rollers have nothing on the power of a lacrosse ball when it comes to getting deep into the muscles of your glutes. It’s just the right size to deliver solid pressure without hurting, but it still gets local enough to really dig in. Try changing your position to roll the sides of your calves as well.You can also use your hand to roll the ball over the muscles of the lower leg. We bet your feet are feeling great now that you have released sometension. Let’s keep going and work the legs. When you find a triggerpoint, either hold it to release or keep that ball still while you raise yourarm straight out on front of you.You’ll notice you may find new tender spots particularly when you try using it on your quads and calves. Expect pain at first. Most users will undergo a short transition period during which time some pain may be felt when applying pressure to affected areas. Gently ease into the pain. We’ll use the term “Trigger Point” throughout this article. It is often described as a muscle knot orarea of increased sensation. When you hit one, you will know immediately. Ohyes, you sure will. Breath slowly and deeply while you work through yourtrigger points. In through the nose, out through the mouth. It’s the pressurethat you apply to these points that will help to relieve the tension. What ishappening is that the muscle is already in a fighting state. Adding pressure, makes it fight harder, whichwill eventually lead to fatigue and therefore release! The pain will gradually (and seeminglymagically) fade away. This can takeanywhere from a few seconds to up to 2 minutes.

Sit onthe floor with your leg stretched out, place the ball right above your Achillestendon. Keep your ankle in a relaxed position, neither flexed nor pointed. Lacrosse balls are easy-to-grab tools for self-massage. Unlike a tennis ball, a lacrosse ball is harder and maintains its form even when your weight is pressed down on it. They are cheaper than foam rollers and allow for a deep massage that can be painful at first but is highly beneficial in reducing muscle tension and soreness.Lacrosse ball stretching is another term for performing the Lacrosse ball massage exercises that we mentioned above. Don’t forget to perform these exercises and stretches on both sides of the body! Lacrosse Ball Stretches You can use the lacrosse ball to zero in on any specific areas you want. Just remember, the key for this to work though is regular use.

The goal of tennis ball massage is to achieve a “release” by applying just the right amount of pressure: enough to do some good, but not enough to irritate your nervous system. (Although it’s quite safe, massage is not harmless. 3) The sensation should be clear and strong and satisfying, what we call “good pain.” In the world of sports and fitness, recovery and self-care have become increasingly important aspects of maintaining peak performance and preventing injuries. Among the various techniques available, lacrosse ball massage has gained significant attention for its effectiveness in relieving muscle tension, promoting flexibility, and aiding in recovery. This innovative technique is swiftly becoming a go-to method for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals seeking relief from everyday muscle aches and pains. How do lacrosse balls for massaging work? They are used on the fascia, which is thin connective tissue that covers your organs and muscles and connects muscle groups. If the fascia is tight, you may have increased pressure on your joints and muscles, which leads to pain, soreness and discomfort. By using the lacrosse balls for myofascial therapy, you can loosen and stretch out the fascia to relieve pain and gain more freedom of movement. I’ve been using one to activate tight muscles and soothe tired ones for nearly four years. I’ll happily credit massage guns (in part, at least) with helping me stay injury-free for my last 3,000-plus miles of running. Top physical therapists, massage therapists and athletes all use massage balls for their own self-care and most use lacrosse balls for massage.Use your forearms andother leg to support your weight as you apply as much pressure as you arecomfortable with to the ball. It’s no secret that there are tremendous benefits from regular massage. In fact, that’s why almost every professional sports team provides regular massage to their athletes. Even if you're using a lacrosse ball instead of getting a massage from a professional, you can still enjoy almost all the benefits of regular massage, which include: