10 Pain-Fighting Moves You Can Do With A Tennis Ball
As you can tell from our last post, we love using foam rollers to work out those nagging aches and pains, but sometimes they can’t get into a tight area quite as well as your hands. The next best option after a foam roller? Using nothing more than a few tennis balls, these moves get into the deepest layers of your muscle and connective tissue to help break the adhesions so your muscles can fully contract and stretch, They’ll also help relieve soreness, pain, and increase circulation.
If You’ve Got… Achy Feet
(Fitness photos by J. Miller)
Try… Sole Searching
Why it helps: The ball loosens up stiffness in your sole’s muscles, joints, and connective tissues.
How to do it:
1. While standing next to a wall or chair for stability, place a ball underneath the arch of your foot. Keep your heel on the floor and let your body weight sink in. Take deep breaths for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Slowly roll your foot from side to side so the ball crosses your arch. Repeat for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Roll the ball along the length of your foot from heal to toe for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Repeat on the other foot.
You can also try this on the palm of your hand if these ache as well.
Why it helps: The ball acts as a spacer to gently traction the lower leg bones, kneecap, and thigh away from one another. This provides an internal stretch within the often-stiff joint capsule of the knee.
How to do it:
1. Sit on the floor or in a chair and place the ball behind your bent knee, as close to the side of the knee as possible.
2. Attempt to contract your muscles against the ball, temporarily “squashing” the ball for a count of 10, then relax your muscles for a count of 10. Do this 8 to 10 times.
3. Repeat on the other knee.
If You’ve Got… Tight Thighs
Try… IT Band Meltdown
Why it helps: The balls tease motion into the frequently tight IT Band and outer quadriceps muscle (vastus lateralis). This move helps to soothe tight knees and hips at once.
How to do it:
1. While sitting on the ground or in a firm chair, place 2 balls on the outside of your thigh. Keep the balls nestled into the side of your thigh and slowly bend and straighten your knee 20 times.
2. Move your thigh from side to side so that the balls cross the side of your thigh. Repeat for 2 minutes.
3. Repeat on the other side.
Why It Helps: This move targets multiple large and small muscles that attach on the side of the hip (the gluteus maximus, the medius, and the piriformis). These muscles can be tight either from sitting too much, overuse in exercise, or wearing high-heeled shoes.
How to do it:
1. Lie on the ground and place one ball on the side of your hip, then lean into the ball. Make slow circles with the hip and leg as it rests on the ball. Circle 12 times in each direction.
2. Repeat on the other side.
If You’ve Got… Bad Posture
Try… Upper Back UnWind
Why It Helps: This move is a postural corrective, an upper back tension reliever, and also helps to revive your breath.
How to do it:
1. Lie down and place two balls side by side on either side of your upper back. (You can place them in a tote, stocking, or sock, if you’d like.) Interlace your hands behind your head and lift your head off the floor, bringing your chin toward your chest. Lift your bottom off the floor and take 3 deep breaths into your ribs.
2. Keeping your breaths big and steady, roll the balls like a rolling pin up and down your upper back for 3 to 4 minutes.
Why It Helps: This move unglues the over-worked chest muscles that tighten due to holding cell phones, typing on computers, cooking, or carrying kids. It restores breathing and also relaxes your nervous system.
How to do it:
1. While leaning against a doorway or wall corner, place a ball just below your collarbone. Spend at least 1 minute simply breathing into the pressure of the ball.
2. Shift from side to side so that the ball scrolls along the upper chest, while you continue to breathe into the ball, for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Try moving your arm and neck while you shift to add extra shoulder mobility into the mix. Continue for 1 minute.
4. Repeat on the other side.
If You’ve Got… Tense Shoulders
Try… Shoulder Shine-Up
Why It Helps: This move addresses some of the rotator cuff muscles that often tighten from overuse, poor posture, and repetitive motion.
How to do it:
Place a ball behind your shoulder blade while lying on the floor. Experiment with moving your shoulder in every possible direction for 3 minutes on each side. Your arm will look like seaweed floating in the water.
