I previously mentioned that people love getting something for free – and I do too, so if you don’t believe me then you haven’t seen McDonald’s ads for free coffee from March 1st to the 14th. Personally, I think it’s as good as Tim’s if not better and I think that I’m converted to golden arches coffee. Take advantage of it because it’s unlimited and it’s free all day and every day for two weeks. And yes, I’m lovin’ it! So cliche, but I just had to.

Time to get to what you came here for – self help tennis ball massage. Now lets assume that your pain is typically between your shoulder blades – which is extremely common for anyone that works at a desk in front of a computer or for those who just have poor posture. I would just suggest using your hand to do the job but the real problem is that most of us don’t have the flexibility to reach the sore spot and that’s why a tennis ball is so great to have handy.

1. Find a comfy carpeted floor in your house and bring along a couple of pillows – one for your head and one for under your knees.
2. Begin by lying down and place the pillows in a comfortable position under both your head and knees.
3. Start with the spot on your back that is tight, sore, or is causing you pain.
4. While lying down, slide the tennis ball under your back and lie directly on it. The sore spot should now be on top of the tennis ball.
5. Relax by closing your eyes and breathing deeply or  diaphragmaitcally (see our self care tab).
6. Apply some form of deep moist heat (see our self care tab) to the area you self treated with the tennis ball.

The soreness or pain should decrease over time and the longer you lie on the ball the less the soreness or pain should be. This is confirmation that what you are doing is working.

For multiple sore points, roll the ball to another location and repeat. Take intermittent breaks if the pain it too great or if the intensity is too much. If the ball is too hard, try a different kind of ball. One ball that I’ve used in the past is called The Miracle Ball and it is good if a tennis ball is too specific or too hard.  Personally, I prefer a harder ball and if you do too try raiding your kids toy box and find a hard bouncy ball, you know the kind that are half red and half blue with a white stripe running through the middle, and use that instead.

This whole process may take some finagling but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Experiment with other areas of your body that are sore too. And hey, if it doesn’t work go for a free coffee at McD’s…at least until March 14th.