Self massage when working from home
If you already have a self massage ball, you probably know how amazing they are. Whether its a spiky ball, a lacrosse ball or a borrowed cricket ball from your kids, they are great for relieving tight muscles all over the body.
Disclaimer: These exercises may not be right for you. We recommend you check with your musculoskeletal health care provider before trying any new exercises or therapies.
1. Forearms
A lot of our customers have been commenting how sore their arms are getting from going from a ergonomic desk set up to a throw together home office set up. Some of them don’t have the same amount or length of breaks because everything is so handy in a home set up environment. Does this sound familiar and your arms are starting to feel like dead weights, give this self release technique a go.
Step 1 – Put the ball on the bench and put your forearm on the ball.
Step 2 – Hold on the sore spot and then move your wrist back and forth, you can even add a stretch with the other hand which aids the myofascial release. 30-60 seconds on each spot should be plenty.
Step 3 – See if you can find a few more spots. Also try the other side of the forearm.
2. Between the shoulder blades self massage
This self massage technique can be done with one ball, but it feels amazing if you have 2. You can also use what’s called a back ball or a peanut where it’s like they stuck 2 balls together. But if you don’t have that you can simply put 2 balls inside a sock to hold them together. The 2 balls in a sock idea actually works better because you can move them further apart for different areas of the spine by tying knots between the balls. Try this technique on the between the shoulder blades first but it may feel nice to try on your neck or other areas of your back. Just remember you are aiming to release muscle, don’t put the balls directly on the spine.
Step 1 – Lay on your back with the balls underneath you between your shoulder blades. Make sure the balls are going across ways so they don’t press on your spine.
Step 2 – Hug your elbows and gently circle your arms 5 times in 1 direction and then 5 times in the other direction. It should feel like a nice massage.
Step 3 – Repeat this process on 2-3 other sore spots you find between the shoulder blades.
3. Neck self release
No doubt that your neck is probably coping most of the home office stress right now. We go from working at the computer in our work time to checking our phone (words with friends is soooo addictive), watching television or reading a book in our down time. All this head forward posture puts a lot of repetitive load on our neck. Give this self massage technique a try if your neck is feeling stiff or starting to give you headaches!
Step 1 – Lie on your back and place the ball under the base of your skull.
Step 2 – Roll your head from side to side or do small nodding actions to find a good spot.
Step 3 – Let it sink in on each sore spot for about 30-60 seconds. Choose 2 or 3 spots, there’s no benefit to over doing it!
Need Supplies and working from home?
We stock spiky balls, lacrosse balls and peanuts for all your self massage needs! Simply email [email protected] with what you’re after. Or book in an appointment and we give you some specific exercise for you! Click here to find a time that suits you best.