KO back pain without asking for help! Use a tennis ball to massage and relax the fascia

Every day at work, except for eating and going to the toilet, you don’t move at all, as if you were in a trance? Be careful, staring at the computer screen for a long time without changing your posture appropriately may cause annoying back pain! A professor at the Department of Physical Education in Korea said that in order to prevent lower back pain, in addition to developing a habit of sitting properly and exercising moderately, making good use of small props that are easily available in daily life, such as tennis balls, to massage the human fascia is another soothing option for busy office workers without asking for help!

Suffering from aches and pains? Overuse and fatigue can lead to muscle fascia knotting.

In their joint book "Roll Your Fascia to Loosen Your Muscles, Pain-Free Everyday", Yu Zhiren, adjunct professor of the Department of Physical Education at Hanyang University's College of Arts and Sports, and Kim Shengmin, professor of the Department of Physical Education at Hanyang University, mentioned that the reason why the human body is prone to symptoms of pain and discomfort is mainly because the muscle fibers (fascia) in the body become "knotted" due to excessive fatigue and improper use.

The so-called "fascia" refers to a transparent film covering the surface of human muscles, like plastic wrap. Its function is to maintain the normal functioning of muscles and flexible movements. When the fascia is knotted, this complete piece of plastic wrap will be deformed and tightened, and then pull the whole body, causing muscle stiffness, swelling and soreness, crooked posture, and deformed body shape. Therefore, if you want to effectively eradicate the problem of soreness, the first key is to loosen the tangled fascia!

To relieve pain, restore fascia elasticity first! The correct application of force in the "rolling" action will give you a better feeling

Professor Jin Shengmin emphasized that the human body's fascia is composed of "water" and "collagen". As long as you press it more, you can stimulate the proliferation of collagen and maintain its moisture and elasticity. However, it should be noted that general stretching and pressing can only massage the muscles and cannot touch the fascia.

Therefore, if you want to improve the annoying back pain problem and open up the fascia knots in the waist and back, in addition to moderate massage, you may also use tennis balls, rollers and other equipment to engage in the following more in-depth "rolling" methods to help restore fascia elasticity and relieve body aches:

【Bend your knees and roll your back with a ball massage】

Number of times: 4 times.

Steps:

1. Preparation: Place two balls side by side on the ground, lean your waist (about where you would tie your belt) on top, then lie down with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground for stability.

2. Place the top of the ball against both sides of the lumbar spine and slowly push your hips upwards. Then exhale while gently pressing the ball with your waist; inhale again and slowly return to the preparatory position. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds until your waist muscles relax.

3. The range of movement of the ball each time is about the size of a small finger joint, starting from the 4th lumbar vertebra (lumbar spine) and pressing back to the 1st lumbar vertebra, back and forth.

effect:

The quadratus lumborum muscle is a muscle that connects the lumbar spine to the pelvis on both sides and has the function of stabilizing the lumbar spine. This muscle is used when you bend your upper body forward or lift your pelvis to the left or right. Once the muscle lengths on both sides are inconsistent, you will feel soreness and discomfort around the sacrum (the lowest part of the waist bone) or buttocks.

In addition, the multifidus muscles located on both sides of the spine have the function of maintaining the stability of the important deep muscles of the lumbar spine and are responsible for the subtle movements of the spine. If this muscle is too tight, it will be so painful that even a simple stretch will be impossible. In fact, if you want to have a healthy waist, the most important thing is to achieve a balance between the deep muscles and the surface muscles, rather than just exercising the surface muscles.

Note:

When using two roller balls for massage, make sure that the spine is located in the gap between the two balls. Just place the ball on the ground and move your body up and down to massage it. When massaging, use the strength of your hips to move your body and press with your body weight to avoid letting the ball roll.

【Waist and hip rolling ball press】

Number of times: 8 times.

Steps:

1. Preparation: Lie prone, press the ball 2 cm to the left or right of your belly button, support yourself with your elbows, and use your body weight to press the ball under your body.

2. Use abdominal breathing to inhale, fill your abdomen with air, and shrink your abdomen while exhaling. Once you are familiar with the breathing movements, you can slightly lift the foot that is pressing on the ball of the foot to massage the muscles more deeply.

effect:

The psoas major passes through the lumbar vertebrae and hip joints, connecting the lumbar vertebrae and femur. It is an important muscle connecting the spine and lower limbs. If we sit for a long time, the psoas major muscle will always remain in a shortened state, which will cause the two sides to be of different lengths and the body will be deformed left and right.

In fact, as we age, our muscles naturally lose their elasticity, becoming stiffer and shorter. This is also the reason why most elderly people have hunchbacks. However, as long as you stretch your psoas muscle thoroughly before going to bed every day, you can not only maintain muscle elasticity and correct posture, but also improve insomnia problems.

Note:

For people with abdominal obesity, it is difficult to directly massage the psoas major muscle due to fat accumulation. If you encounter this situation, you can use a roller instead, which will be more effective. If you want to effectively solve the problem of deep muscle soreness that cannot be felt by your hands, you can try to shrink your abdomen as much as possible when exhaling to relieve the soreness.