L.A. Times Fitness instructor Jill Miller demonstrates how to effectively use tennis balls to massage away the tension in the lower back muscles.
The 90-second Method For Low Back Pain Relief
Using tennis balls to work out the knots and tight spots in the lower back is a time honored pass time for many self-massage enthusiasts. Tennis balls easily grip the skin as they roll, sink in and loosen up the thoraco-lumbar fascia (that’s the connective tissue in the low back).
Here’s How It Works
Start by lying down on the floor and propping yourself up on your elbows. Then lift up your bottom and place two tennis balls on either side of your lower spine (just above the hips).
Let your body ease onto the balls, and then use your arms to help you glide down towards heels and then back up just below your ribcage and then back down again. Continue doing this for 90-seconds, or about 8 to 12 repetitions.
If this position starts to strain your neck and shoulders, rest your head and upper body on the floor and stack the balls on top of each other in the groove along the spine. Then rock your hips side to side, like an excited dog slowly wagging it’s tail. As the balls roll across your lower back, you’ll feel the tension and tightness melt away.
If lying on the ball doesn’t work for you or the pressure is too much, then try doing it against the wall.
That’s how you roll your low back pain away. And then course book a massage to make sure all the knots have been annihilated.
Morgan Sutherland
Poor posture can eventually lead to acute back pain, and when that strikes, desperation follows, and finding a quick fix to improve your downgraded quality of life can sometimes lead down the dark path of painkillers and other drastic measures. In Back To The Past: 9 Ways To Free Yourself From Back Pain So You Can Feel Like Yourself Again, you’ll learn a sequence of stretches, strengthening exercises and self-massage methods that will give you control over your pain and reverse the damage of bad posture and current (or future) back problems.
