7 Ways Self Massage Can Heal Your Body

7 Ways Self Massage Can Heal Your Body

With Covid-19 it is hard to get self-care through massage. I have kept my body healthy and pain free by using my Yoga Tune Up® balls for self-massage every day, literally. This is not simply a sales pitch for Yoga Tune Up®. These balls have kept me out of the chiropractor’s office and helped so many of my friends and clients with shoulder issues, hip issues, low back pain, foot issues and the list goes on and on. These wonderful massage balls provide myofascia release better than foam rollers as they can get into the trigger point areas and release them.

Many therapists will recommend a La Crosse ball or golf ball to release myofascia, yet these items are so hard the body tenses up and will not relax enough for self-massage to actually take place. Yoga Tune Up® balls are inexpensive and are easier to use than soft tennis balls that collapse when you put too much pressure on them.

Click Here to see available products. https://www.tuneupfitness.com/shop/self-massage-therapy-balls

What is myofascia you ask?

All of your muscles are connected with fascia. This fascia is intwined between, around and over all of your muscles like the man in blue. We often talk about tight muscles, but the trigger points that cause us pain are often found in the myofascia. Simply put, myofascia is the fascia that is intertwined with the muscle. Often the fascia has to be released before the muscle will even stretch. This is why I have my clients stretch a muscle for 3-4 reps as the first two reps they may feel like that particular muscle doesn’t need to be stretched because it doesn’t feel tight. On the third rep the fascia starts to loosen and then the muscle begins to feel the stretch. This is why it is important to do myofascia release before stretching and in addition to stretching.

The 7 ways Self Massage Through Yoga Tune Up® has helped me and my clients is:

1. Opens the thoracic spine and massages the specific areas in the upper back to improve posture and reduce upper back pain. Females often have tightness and discomfort where their bra strap sits all day (mid thoracic spine). Just using the original Yoga Tune Up® balls in this region every night before bed will improve your posture and reduce pain immediately.

2. Calms down piriformis tightness and sciatic nerve pain. Rolling the ball over these areas helps reduce pain in the hip and glutes.

3. Relieves tension in the low back through massaging the low back muscles and releasing tension in the Quadratus Lumborum (muscle that runs from the top of the hip to the bottom of the rib cage).

4. Relieves tension in the neck therefore decreasing headaches.

5. Calms down tension in the calves and hamstrings making it easier to walk and exercise.

6. Decreased pain from TMJ.

7. Reduces pain from plantar fasciitis in the foot.

Here are a few videos from the creator and owner of Yoga Tune Up® Jill Miller, to help you understand how to use the Yoga Tune Up® balls. The balls can be used on the floor or the wall depending on what your needs are.

Back Pain Relief – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4-Cnhfc3OM

Oblique, Quadratus Lumborum and Psoas Relief – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glkxp29zgnQ

Thoracic Spine Opening – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_9ew0Fe5Q

The best balls to start with are the original Yoga Tune Up® balls and if you are on the floor, start with a soft surface under you like carpet or a thick mat. They come in a tote and can be used in the tote or out. The main guidelines for using these balls are you do not want to ever put them directly on the spine and…. if it hurts in a bad way, do not do it. The goal is for you to relax into the balls and feel a sense of relief, not pain. Wear form fitting synthetic fiber fitness clothes to allow more grip with the balls so you get more release.

The best way to learn how to use Yoga Tune Up® balls for self-massage is to work with a Specialist.

Self-care can often be the best health care. Learn ball rolling self-message to increase circulation, decrease pain and improve mobility.