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Deep tissue massages like a lacrosse ball massage help to decontract fascia and offer many benefits to the body. Some layers of fascia are located deep in the body and require hard and prolonged pressure to allow knots to loosen and regain elasticity. Added suggestions about other kinds of balls that are suitable for self-massage. General editing. Modernization of information about trigger points.
In the world of sports and fitness, recovery and self-care have become increasingly important aspects of maintaining peak performance and preventing injuries. Among the various techniques available, lacrosse ball massage has gained significant attention for its effectiveness in relieving muscle tension, promoting flexibility, and aiding in recovery. This innovative technique is swiftly becoming a go-to method for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals seeking relief from everyday muscle aches and pains. Not only does tightness in these muscles cause headaches, but it can also lead to forward head posture. On the other hand, tennis balls have been widely utilized in massage therapy for their unique properties. Tennis balls, which measure approximately 6.7 cm in diameter and weigh around 57 grams, provide a different approach to relaxation and relief. Try changing your position to roll the sides of your calves as well.You can also use your hand to roll the ball over the muscles of the lower leg. The foam roller is another fantastic tool to use to perform self-myofascial release. It is generally shaped like a long cylinder and made of dense foam. If you do not have access to a foam roller or prefer a piece of equipment that is more portable, the Lacrosse ball is an excellent substitute! In fact, if you do not have a Lacrosse ball, you can use a Tennis ball to perform self-myofascial release. Lacrosse Ball for Massage
Massage is safe, but nothing’s perfect. “Deep tissue” massage causes most of the trouble: sometimes it causes minor new injuries or aggravates old ones. Soreness and malaise are common, which is probably caused by mild muscle injury (not ‘detoxification’). It can especially traumatize people with chronic pain. Serious injuries are very rare but can occur, especially strokes and pulmonary emboli. For more information, see Massage Therapy Side Effects: What could possibly go wrong with massage? The risks and side effects of massage therapy are usually mild, but “deep tissue” massage can cause trouble. Place the lacrosse ball against the wall and the watch face surface of your wrist, rolling it over the muscles of your arm towards your elbow To ensure that you maximize the benefits of lacrosse ball massage, it is crucial to understand and practice proper techniques. Here are some commonly recommended techniques and guidelines to follow: What they are, why they work, how to use them, and 5 key things to look for when buying massage therapy balls. Use your forearms andother leg to support your weight as you apply as much pressure as you arecomfortable with to the ball.
It’s no secret that there are tremendous benefits from regular massage. In fact, that’s why almost every professional sports team provides regular massage to their athletes. Even if you're using a lacrosse ball instead of getting a massage from a professional, you can still enjoy almost all the benefits of regular massage, which include:
When deployed correctly, it's a secret weapon for recovery
As far as I know — and I’ve been studying this stuff for a long time now — massage for trigger points has never come anywhere close to being properly scientifically tested. Although there’s plenty of research that is mildly encouraging, it clearly falls well short of proof. All I’ve really got is my professional experience (hardly reliable) and speculation. Full disclosure!
When doing lacrosse ball massages, be sure to breathe deeply and only apply as much pressure as feels comfortable. If you find it hard to inhale due to the pain, release the pressure until you can take deep breaths again comfortably. Many of these tools are handy and fun, but one of the most important ideas in this article is that you really don’t need to go out of your way to buy anything special: most people already have a tennis ball around, and it really is one of the most versatile self-massage tools in the world. Significant upgrade: added a half dozen footnotes to the article (this one had none previously), mostly the chatty kind, mostly about foam rolling, massage safety and efficacy, and assorted bits of trigger point science. Top physical therapists, massage therapists and athletes all use massage balls for their own self-care and most use lacrosse balls for massage.Hardness – there is no perfect massage ball hardness as each body part will respond best to a different hardness. Also, as the health and flexibility of your tissues improves, you’ll want to use harder massage balls over time. To start, sit with one glute balanced on the lacrosse ball. Do not begin by pressing all of your weight on the ball! The right ball for you will depend on a number of factors, including your pain tolerance, budget, and the parts of the body you want to treat. Added a little more and clearer information about the biology of tennis ball massage. This article is really supposed to KISS, but even here there should be a high quality basic summary of the science. Some organizational improvements. Added reading recommendations. Quintner JL, Bove GM, Cohen ML. A critical evaluation of the trigger point phenomenon. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2015 Mar;54(3):392–9. PubMed25477053❐
Generally speaking, wherever you’re tight! However, there are some key areas that are commonly tight for most of us, which makes them perfect for abuse from the lacrosse ball. Those areas tend to be: When you find your triggerpoints, hold that position until they release. You can also flex and extendyour leg until you feel the pressure release. A lacrosse ball is a super hard ball similar size to the tennis ball, that’s absolutely perfect for working out stiff areas of muscle. The best part is that you can use it anywhere, anytime you want without the expense or time commitment of a professional massage. Molly Hurford is a coach and journalist in love with all things cycling, running, yoga, nutrition, and all else movement-related. She’s a USA Cycling and PMBI-certified coach and a registered yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She’s raced cyclocross, road, and mountain bikes, as well as triathlons from sprint distance to Ironman and running races from 5Ks to 50Ks in the mountains.I highly recommend adding in frequent lacrosse ball massage to your athletic arsenal; especially while on the road traveling. What are the best muscle areas to massage with a lacrosse ball? Sometimes, our muscles can become so tight that we can drastically reduce our mobility! This is never a good thing as reduced mobility will not only impact our ability to exercise, but also increase our risk of injury and make our activities of daily living harder. Items like Lacrosse balls and foam rollers can help to increase our mobility by reducing tension and tightness in our muscles. Using a lacrosse ball for massaging does a lot more than just reduce pain, too. It can also increase your joint range of motion and improve muscle performance. Plus, if you’ve been feeling fatigued after working out, a lacrosse ball massage can help to reduce that feeling. Quintner, Cohen, and Bove think the most popular theory about the nature of trigger points (muscle tissue lesions) is “flawed both in reasoning and in science,” and that treatment based on that idea gets results “indistinguishable from the placebo effect.” They argue that all biological evidence put forward over the years is critically flawed, while other evidence leads elsewhere, and take the position that the debate is over. (They also point out that the theory is treated like an established fact by a great many people, which is definitely problematic.) However, their opinion is extreme, and most experts do not think we should throw out all the science so far (see Dommerholt etal). It is very simple to learn how to use a Lacrosse ball for massage. The only equipment you will need is a Lacrosse ball and a flat surface. The area of the body you choose to massage will impact the type of surface you will need. For example, if you are massaging your foot, you will place the Lacrosse ball on the floor. If you are massaging the Hamstring, you can choose to sit on a box or chair. If you are massaging the chest or shoulders, you will need to pin the Lacrosse ball against a wall.
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