Using tennis balls to relieve muscle pain

My lower back has been bothering me for a while, probably because of all the ingredients and other heavy things I've been lifting and carrying. Or perhaps because I've been going out for a run after a full production day. One way or the other I have to take care of this pain, as it is annoying and often debilitating too (especially in the morning). Since signing up for a "real" massage would set me back at least $80, I decided to try something new: a tennis ball massage. The 1st time I heard about it was a few years back when I came across an article in "Yoga" magazine. I did not remember exactly how to do it, so I went prowling on the Internet, looking for the clues. Right away I found what I was looking for (see the article below). Tennis ball massage did wonders to my back. Check it out!
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Tennis Ball Massage for Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Learn how to use a tennis ball and other massage tools to self-treat muscle knots and trigger points

by Paul Ingraham, Registered Massage Therapist (Vancouver)
This article expresses my opinion only, and cannot replace medical advice. More …
One of my clients was recently describing an experience she’d had with a physician, an orthopedic specialist: “He didn’t know about tennis balls. He asked what helped my back pain, and I told him I always lie on a tennis ball. He looked at me like he was going to refer me to a psychiatrist! How can an orthopedic surgeon not know about the tennis ball thing? Doesn’t everyone know about the tennis ball thing?”
Unfortunately, no: not everyone knows about the tennis ball thing. But it is one of the most time-honoured simple solutions for chronic muscle aches and pains, running a close second to “the hot tub thing.”
Indeed, a tennis ball is simply a handy tool that you can use in the self-treatment of knots in your muscles, technically known as myofascial pain syndrome.1 In this article, I’ll explain how to use a tennis ball properly to relieve knots in your muscles, and also why it works.
Other tools
There are, of course, countless self-massage tools on the market: sticks and widgets, rollers and thumpers, balls and wooden thumbs, and on and on. Many of these tools are handy and fun, but part of the idea of this article is to suggest that you 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.
Another tool that a lot of people have handy is a Kong dog toy, of all things. With it’s pyramidal shape, a hardness that varies depending on how you use it, it’s even better than a tennis ball!

The sock trick
Whether you work with a tennis ball, a dog kong, or a rock, most massage tools can be put into a long sock, allowing you to dangle it down your back into those hard to reach places. This gives you much finer control over the exact location of your tool. Of course, if you don’t have unusually long socks — and not many of us do — there are other solutions along the same lines. Kongs can be tied to a rope or string. A tennis ball can be put in a long, soft sack … or in a short sack.
The truly enthusiastic self-massager — you know who you are — may wish to actually craft their very own custom “massage tool sock.” You can easily sew one yourself, or go to any seamstress and pay probably less then $10 to get them to make you a long, narrow sock of sturdy fabric. Amaze your friends!
How to do it
Tennis ball technique is usually most effective in the muscles of the back and the hips: places where you can lie on the tennis ball, pinching it between your body and the ground or a wall. Other locations are awkward, and it is difficult or impossible to apply consistent pressure. However, pressure can be applied to muscles in many ways, and the same principles apply in every case.
Lie down on a tennis ball, placing it in approximately the right location. “Explore” by moving slowly and gently, until you’ve got just the right spot. Trust your intuition. If it feels like the right spot, it probably is.
The sensation should be clear and strong and satisfying; it should have a relieving, welcome quality — this is what we call “good pain.”
The key to successful tennis ball technique is to achieve a “release” by applying just the right amount of pressure: enough to do some good, but not enough to irritate the knot. The sensation should be clear and strong and satisfying; it should have a relieving, welcome quality. This is what we call “good pain.” If you are wincing or gritting your teeth, you need to be more gentle. You need to be able to relax.
Once you have adjusted yourself to achieve the right pressure, relax as much as possible and wait for the sensation to fade to at least eighty percent of the original intensity. This is the “release” — a change in the physiological state of the tissues, or a “melting” of the knot. This can take anywhere from ten seconds to several minutes.
If there is no change in the sensation, you may be pressing on something that isn’t a knot in your muscles: you should discontinue the treatment and seek assistance. Or just try again a little while later.
If you get a release, move on to the next point.
This approach usually gives only temporary relief. Here are some ways to help make it last as long as possible:
Do not use ice or an ice pack on the area.
Avoid drafts on the skin, and generally stay warm.
Use a hot tub, or take a hot bath or shower.
Drink some extra water before and after.
Gently mobilize and stretch the muscles after the release of each knot.
Treat only a few knots at a time.
Avoid sudden movements and strong contractions of the muscle for a day at least.
Why it works
A knot or trigger point is an irritated patch of muscle. The nerve that controls it is firing too quickly, and the tissue is full of junk molecules. The pressure has two effects: it creates a small, local stretch that tends to inhibit the motor nerve, and it deforms the tissue and literally squashes stagnant tissue fluids out of the area.
Or that is one of the theories, anyway. For the full story, see Save Yourself from Myofascial Pain Syndrome!.