Back Massage – DIY

If you practise this easy back massage technique you will qickly rid yourself of that annoying ache between your shoulder blades. At the first sign of the ache returning, do the back massage technique again, and you will stop the ache before it becomes worse.

Having A Ball

• Lie on the floor – carpet is more comfortable than a hard floor.
• Position a tennis or hard rubber ball under a tight muscle or sore spot in our upper back. You may need a little manoeuvring (by lightly rolling your body over the ball) to get the ball in the right spot.
• Use your body weight to apply pressure to the spot and lie on the ball for 30 seconds. If the spot is sore, the ball may need to stay there up to a minute.
• Adjust the pressure by altering the amount of your body weight on the ball.
• For maximum pressure, lift your buttocks off the floor.
• Move the ball to another tight/sore spot in your back, either with your hands, or by moving your back over the ball.
• NB: The soreness/tenderness/pain you feel should be no more than 7 out of 10 on your own 0-10 pain scale. 7/10 is sore but bearable. As you continue to lie on the ball the soreness will diminish. This tells you that the tight muscle is releasing. If the soreness does not diminish after 60 seconds, leave it and come back to the spot the next day.

This is an excellent technique for releasing ‘hard to reach’ tight muscles/trigger points between the shoulder blades and the long muscles of the back. And remember, do this on a regular basis.