sore muscles and no therapist?

If you’ve had a weekend of doing work around the house or yard, there’s a good chance that you’re going to have some muscle soreness issues. To make matters worse, your favorite massage therapist is probably unavailable. What to do in the meantime? No worries. I have some suggestions...

two-love

The old two-tennis-balls-and-a-sock trick can help relieve most muscle aches. Here’s how you do it.

• Find an old tube sock that’s still has some stretch to it.
• Place two tennis balls in it and tie it off so the balls don’t move around much. Presto! Instant massage tool.
• Lie on the floor and place the sock under your back where the muscles are sore and gently roll yourself on it. If this is too much, just lie still and let the weight of your body compress the muscles into relaxation.
• Be careful not to put any pressure directly on your spine. The tennis balls should fit on either side of your spine and work those muscles that travel lengthwise up your back.

The tennis ball trick works for shoulder and upper back aches too. You may have to be creative to discover the right angles, but the release is well worth the effort.

fore

If your feet are bothering you, use a golf ball to “roll out” your arches. This “trick” is pretty simple. Usually there’s a golf ball lingering somewhere in the house. If not, I’m sure your neighbor has one.

• Place the golf ball on the floor
• Remove your shoe and gently step on the ball and roll it over the bottom of your foot.
• Don’t use too much pressure. Just use enough pressure to feel like it’s making a difference.

An easy time to get this treatment going is while you’re sitting at your desk (right now!) surfing the Internet. The golf ball trick is especially good therapy if you have plantar fasciitis. The golf ball is just the right size to stretch the fascia on the bottom of your feet.

seventh inning

Sometimes simply lying on the floor helps (I do this a lot).

• Just lie on your back and let the floor do all the work.
• While you are down there, do some stretches. Bring your knees one at a time up to your chest and pull for a few seconds.
• Then, bring both knees up, grab and hold for about a minute.

Repeat this a few times throughout the day.

take a dive

There’s a treatment I bet you haven’t thought about — the Epsom Salt soak. It works. It’s cheap. It's easy. Plus, it’s a great way to get 20 minutes of peace and quiet.

• Use one cup of the salts
• Fill the bath tub with warm water
• Tell everyone to leave you alone for about 20 minutes.

Typically you come out of the tub feeling a whole lot better and everyone has found something else to do besides bother you.

heavy hitter

If your muscle soreness is of a particularly brutal nature, you can also take supplements for muscle ache and soreness. I have a product called Myocalm that is a mineral and herb formula in tablet form, used to relax and restore muscles. Take one dose in addition to doing some of the ideas mentioned earlier and the results are glorious!

game preparation

Consider making an in-home body-restore kit. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Find a drawer or a box where you can store your stuff. Put your tennis balls, socks, golf ball, bag of Epsom Salt and whatever else you have in it, and keep it in a place where you can utilize its contents quickly and easily.

overtime

If none of these things work for you, or you just want to mix things up, there are all kinds of devices you can buy. The Back Buddy is a neat tool. Foam Rollers or Yoga Balls are fantastic. You can also use Yoga Blocks or the Spine Works floor device. All of these are good self help devices and can be found on Amazon or Ebay.

However, use caution and common sense. Apparatuses that strap on and pull are probably not a good idea. Consult with your Professional Massage Therapist before you purchase anything that you think might be odd.

that's it for this week.

peace and love,
chuck