Why should I consider doing it?
Ok, what is self massage?Consider it the poor man’s massage in self care to body maintenance especially if you are an active individual or recovering from injury or other soft tissue conditions contributing to your pain. As physical therapists, we help guide our clients to actively participating with their PT treatment programs. Soft tissue dysfunction can affect how we move and in some cases cause more harm than good.
Without getting overly technical about the physiology of the
soft tissue structures, the thing people need to know is that PAIN IS NOT
NORMAL! Pain is your body’s way of
telling you something is wrong. Seek
professional help from a live person (like a physical therapist or an
orthopedist) to determine if the problem area is more serious or if it can be
managed with a little guidance and expertise from folks who see musculoskeletal
conditions day in and day out. The
longer you wait to address the problem, the more chronic it becomes and the
longer it takes to remedy as your body begins to accommodate a new normal which
isn’t always a good thing.
There are a multitude of specialty massage tools out on the market. I have no affiliation with any of them, nor do I endorse any one particular tool. I will not go into detail as to use of the tools here. I am giving a basic overview of the more popular massage toys available. I have tried many of them and recommended many of these tools based on economics and ease of use. Clients usually want ease of use and ease of cost on the wallet.
The simplest of tools…the almighty tennis ball. Just firm enough, small enough and maneuverable enough to be used almost anywhere. Great for first time users and easily found in the store. They come in 3 packs which is great. The busy traveling client can keep one at home, the office and one for travel. For a localized massage like your upper back, neck, glute or your hamstring…the tennis ball fits the bill quite nicely.
Tennis ball not firm enough?
Try a lacrosse ball. It can do
anything the tennis ball can do with less give.
Still not firm enough? I’ve had
clients go as far as using baseballs and softballs to perform this form of
localized self massage as well.
Next up, the foam roller.
There are a lot of choices in this department with varying firmness,
colors, sizes, and prices. There is the
standard foam roller, the rumble roller (has little “knobby teeth”), and the TP
trigger point roller (the original quad roller and the “grid” roller). Most folks can tolerate the standard firm
foam roller with a few tears and maybe a few grumbles of choice words, and it’s
the most economical. I would say about
90% of the clients I ask to invest in a foam roller for their self care
activities will be swearing a lot when they first use it especially on their IT
bands. Rest assured with consistent use
it will feel better. Foam rollers come
in a “short version” or the “full size” 3 foot version. They can be used to roll on a multitude of
body parts: front/side/back of the legs, your backside, and your back (upper
and lower segments).
For those needing something a bit deeper and firm, try the Rumble
Roller or the TP trigger point products.
Great on the leg muscles and the back.
However do know that cost will go up with the fancier toys. These tools are not for the novice
users. They provide a fairly firm
platform to get an effective self massage.
They also travel well and fit into your luggage with minimal space
usage. If the foam roller is just not
doing it for you, then your next best bet is to give these products a worthy
try as they will “dig a little deeper.”
With the rollers, you do have to have some degree of upper
body strength to maneuver on them and even a little bit of flexibility and
coordination. The majority of folks
should have little difficulty as their limiter will be their upper body
strength.
Another great tool that travels well (though be aware that
it must be in your CHECKED luggage), is “The Stick.” I have heard from clients that their “Sticks”
have been confiscated by TSA since it exceeds the length restriction and is
deemed a weapon. I guess you could use
it as a weapon but it’s made of plastic and I doubt that it would do that much
damage. Nonetheless, it is something to
be aware of if owners plan to carry on their “Stick” TSA may take it. So what is it? “The Stick” is a kind of like a rolling pin
except it is made of hard plastic rings on a “stick” with handles on either
end. You use your hands to roll the
stick on yourself (legs mostly) and apply as much or as little pressure as you
want. I have found this tool to be great
for travel (when packed appropriately) and used on the legs. I prefer the rollers as I tend to be (self admittedly)
get lazy trying to use my hands to roll it on myself. With the rollers I use my own body weight to
create the force necessary to “massage” myself.
So why mention these tools in the first place? Let’s face it, if everyone had a bottomless bank
account to get deep tissue work on a weekly or even daily basis, there would be
a lot of busy sports massage folks earning a very nice living. The reality is that most of us don’t have
that type of disposable income. BUT are
these tools effective? Yes, with
consistent use to insure ideal body maintenance. They do help with the flexibility and
pliability of the muscle tissue as well as improved mobility of the connective
tissue associated to help keep the tissue happy as we go about our daily
grind. Massage is great for improving
blood flow and lymphatic flow to aid in flushing out our body’s waste products
and bring in healthy nutrients to optimize recovery. It also helps to physically break down any
problem areas to normalize the tissue. With
that said, skilled hands are better, but self massage is better than nothing. Happy rolling!