Lacrosse Ball Massage Techniques
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Get the equivalent of a 60 minute massage in just 10 minutes with a massage ball. By rolling out key areas where we hold tension, you will not only feel better and de-stressed, you’ll look longer and leaner. This form of therapy promotes lymphatic drainage which means you will let go of excess fluid that you’ve been holding on to and also improve your posture to give you a taller appearance. As an added bonus, self-myofascial release like rolling out using a massage ball is said to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Pec release
Lying on your stomach, place the lacrosse ball at the front of your shoulder in the nook where it meets the chest. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and slowly bring your hand [palm facing down] up to the top of your head and then back down to the side. Repeat as many times as necessary to release your pecs.
Tight pectoralis muscles are one of the major culprits when it comes to neck pain, upper back pain and poor posture. This release might feel a bit painful but it will release tension and improve your posture.
Hip flexor release
Lying on your stomach, place the lacrosse ball right under your front hip bone. Flex your knee so that it is at 90 degrees. Do this slowly so that you can feel the release and then slowly lower the leg. Repeat as many times as necessary to release your hip flexors.
Too much time spent sitting causes your psoas muscles to tighten up. Since they attach to the hips and lower back - tight hip flexors can lead to back pain. Keeping these muscles loose and strengthening your core goes a long way in preventing and treating back pain.
Middle back release
Lying on your back, place the ball in between your spine and shoulder blade where it feels a bit meaty. Bend your elbow to 90 degrees and slowly bring your hand [palm facing up] to the top of your head as we did with the pec release and then back down to the side. Repeat as many times as necessary to release your middle back.
With too much time spent hunched over your phone or even if you suffer from anxiety you may find your middle back getting tight. This release will help to loosen up those tight muscles and you may even find yourself breathing better after this release.
Glute release
Lying on your back, bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Place the lacrosse ball in the centre of your glues. With your foot planted on the ground, move the knee in towards midline and then slowly out as far as you can go. Repeat as many times as necessary to release your glutes.
Our glutes are generally quite inactive with the amount of time sitting on them and as a result can suffer from lack and blood flow. This self myofascial release will help improve circulation to your glutes. This is another area that we also hold tension when we’re stressed. By releasing your glutes not only will you feel better physically but maybe emotionally too.
Calf release
Sitting up, place one leg out straight ahead and the other leg bent with the foot flat on the floor. Place the lacrosse ball under the meaty part of your calf that is on the ground. Slowly flex and dorsiflex [bring your toes up and down] feeling the muscles in your calf releasing. You can move the ball around to release spots that feel tight.
Time spent running around in not the best shoes like flip flops and stilettos can lead to very tight calf muscles. The lacrosse ball is the perfect aid to help release these often tight muscles. And since tight calf muscles can lead to knee and foot pain, releasing them can help prevent and ease these complaints.
Foot release
Still sitting with one leg out straight and the other leg bent, place the lacrosse ball under the foot of the bent leg. Slowly roll your foot back and forth over the ball. This should feel a little painful so if it doesn’t you may to put more weight into it.
The plantar fascia acts as the shock absorber in our feet so when this fascia loses its flexibility it can lead to plantar fasciitis and foot pain. Rolling out the feet will help relieve achy feet an prevent foot pain.
