I love my lacrosse balls massager which is simply two lacrosse balls in a sock. I keep one on the couch under the cushion and keep another one in the car.
I usually put it between my back and the chair and lean against it to massage my back. I start massaging the back muscles on both sides of the spine from the top, wiggle myself to massage and hold steady where it hurts good which must be an acupressure point or trigger point. I then lean forward to drop it a little bit naturally, wiggle and hold steady to massage, lean forward to drop it a little bit, and repeat until I get to the lower back. I also massage on and around the shoulder blade one side at a time by wiggling some more or rotating my shoulder.
Here’s how I massage my neck with this.
Put the balls on each side of the neck and squeeze in a circular motion. This feels just like what the massage chair does. What I love about this massage tool is the flexibility. You can stretch it apart to target different areas.
If your arms get tired, you can just give short strokes on the tight spots on both sides, or one side at a time. If your arms are really tired, just hold the balls and tilt your head to the sides and rotate your neck.
I’ve been using this on the front neck muscles too. This is called sternocleidomastoid. Lightly stroke or circle the tight spot. There are nerves, veins and arteries in this area so do it lightly. If it feels nervy or it’s building pressure in your face or head, lighten the pressure before you pass out because you must be pressing on the nerve or artery or vein too hard.
Again if your arms are tired, hold the ball steady and move your neck. I would massage the front side of the neck one side at a time to avoid choking yourself.
You can see other videos on massage techniques using lacrosse balls from the link here. I use Lacrosse balls because I want hard pressure. If you like softer pressure, you can use tennis balls instead.
Massage Monday #368 – Self Neck Massage with Lacrosse Balls http://bit.ly/mm-111317