Tennis Ball Trigger Points

Tight muscles? Sore joints? Fear no more, if you have a tennis ball at home you are halfway to being pain free. Trigger points can be the bane of many people existence, and one that they might not even know exist. many people suffer from tight muscles and referred pain unnecessarily, a lot of that pain can be relieved simply by releasing some key trigger points. Sure, trigger point therapy doesn’t cure all problems… but it is a common cause of pain that you can get on top of yourself.

What Is A Trigger Point?

It is a point in the muscle where the fibers are overactive. They can’t relax and stay in a contracted state. You would commonly refer to this as a knot in the muscle. They can be very painful. Not only do yo often feel pain at the site of the trigger point, but you can also experience a referred pain. For example, if you have a trigger point in your trapezius muscle you can often feel referred pain up into the neck. If you release and relieve this point, that pain will also disappear.

People suffering from knee pain will often find trigger points in the quadriceps muscles. they refer the pain down their respective sides. They are important to relieve because anything causing pain can cause you to change your movement patterns and biomechanics, perhaps leave the muscle in a shortened state and will predispose you to further injuries. Tennis ball trigger points therapy is an effective way to release these little points of pain.

How To Use a Tennis Ball for Self Massage

You can use a tennis ball for trigger points very easily, and usually only takes a small learning curve before you start to understand your body and know exactly the places you need to work. If you are looking for a complete guide to tennis ball therapy and how to release your muscles and attack your trigger points then check out my Ultimate Self Massage Guide. It gives you step by step instructions on how to release your body, with pictures and easy to understand guiding points.

Once you get hold of a tennis ball you should start to explore your body. Place it under the offending area and work around. If you find a point of pain hold it for 30 seconds or until you feel it release. Here is an example picture on how to use a tennis ball to release your calf (yes I am using a massage ball, it’s the same thing).

For a guide to release your whole body don’t forget to check out the Ultimate Self Massage Guide, your body will thank you!