Get Rid of Back Pain with Tennis Balls!

Got back pain?  Read this!


I learned about this little trick from my Aunt Michelle years ago.  I am not sure where she heard it from, I think maybe her chiropractor told her about it.


Changed. my. life.


Ya'll know I am massage therapist and a fan of getting regular massage and going to the chiropractor.  


But what about those moments when you are in PAIN and you are begging your spouse to massage your back and they either refuse or they are so horrible, you are in worse pain after the massage than you were before!  OR you need a full massage from a professional but you don't have an appointment for another week.  OR you are out of town and back got into a funk from sitting the car for 6 hours and you don't even have access to a professional.


My friends, you need tennis balls in a sock.


You could also buy a similar wooden contraption, but I do not like them.  In my opinion, tennis balls work better, and they are much, much cheaper.


So first you get on the floor and place the tennis ball sock behind you.

Then you slowly lower yourself down so that you are laying on the floor, on the tennis ball sock.


Adjust it so one tennis ball is on either side of your spine.

Then roll the tennis ball sock up and down your spine.  If you feel a knot or sore spot, just stay on it for a few deep breaths.  This is called pressure point therapy.  Basically, you just press and hold in one spot and it releases the entire muscle.  


If you feel your back crack, awesome.  You just gave yourself a DIY chiropractic adjustment.  Remember, this does not replace regular appointments with professionals, it simply is something you can do in the mean time to get you by and relieve pain immediately.


You can lift your butt off the ground and press the weight of your legs into the floor to increase the pressure of the balls on your back (insert giggle here, from my mind that is always in the gutter!)


I also like to sit on them (oh man, I am really not trying to be dirty, I swear) and massage my glutes and my hips.   My hips have always been my problem area, they get so tight, especially when I hold Penelope on my hip instead of in a carrier. 


But just a few minutes with my tennis balls in a sock and I am good to go.


Now go, make some tennis ball socks!  You can thank me later.  





Or on Facebook!

Chiropratic Care for Babies, Toddlers and Kids

 

The other week, Penelope took a tumble at an indoor playground that is in our local mall.  She took a headfirst dive and then did a forward roll out of it.  It was only from about two feet up, but it was a direct, head on, impact.  She cried for a second, but nothing that would make me think she hurt anything.  The old me, would have shook it off, and thought no biggie, and not thought about it again.


But, since Penelope had a cervical subluxation (Atlas vertebrae out of alignment) when she was born,  I have been on edge to stay diligent about keeping her spine in alignment.  She also broke her arm when she was 14 months old, from a fall that I never would have thought capable of breaking her arm. So now I also know, that just because the fall doesn't look super bad, it can still cause damage.


That day at the playground, I laid her down and checked to see if one leg was longer than the other.  Sure enough it was.  I immediately called our chiropractor and made an appointment.   Checking your child's legs, is an easy way to check if there is a misalignment.  If you look at the picture above, her right leg is longer than her left.

Penelope is so great about going to appointments.  She went to so many of them the first 6 months of her life, that they must be a very normal experience for her.

Here she is getting her adjustment.  Not thrilled, but not crying at all.  I can't explain how he does it, but it is not like the wham, bam, crack and twist like some chiropractors do.

And Ta Da!  Perfect alignment once again!  After her adjustment, he told me that Penelope looked radiant.  When your neck is out of alignment, your face and brain are not getting enough oxygen.  But when you are in perfect alignment, you sort of give off this healthy glow.


While I was out our appointment, our Dr. (Dr. John Dunn) gave me a book to borrow.  It is about how important chiropractic care for children is.  It was mostly about several studies that were done on babies who died of SIDS.  ALL of the SIDS babies that were in the study, had cervical subluxations like Penelope had when she was a newborn.  


When a child's Atlas vertebrae is out of alignment, it trickles down the entire spine and throws everything off physically.  It also creates a misfire in all the neurons up and down the spine.  When the neurons are not firing off and sending the correct messages, a myriad of things can happen: chronic ear infections, ADHD, asthma, colic, you name it.  For Penelope, it caused nerve issues that were correlated with her sucking reflex and it gave her TMJ.  Her neck/jaw muscles were so sore and tight from her misalignment, because it was causing her head to cock to the side (like torticolus) and she could not open her mouth wide enough to nurse and it was painful to lay on her side and nurse.


I used to think that only way a newborn could have cervical subluxations was from a traumatic birth.  A Cesarean birth where they pull the baby out at a funny angle sometimes, or when forceps or the vacuum extractor is used.  But the book goes on to say, that even OB's/ RN's/Midwives who pull too hard on the baby, as a way to help the shoulder come out, can cause a misalignment.  It does not take much at all to make the Altas vertebrae get out of alignment.


Your baby can get a subluxation while in the womb as well.  It can be from the baby being in a weird position for a long time in your womb.   I remember my midwife telling me, on the last several visits, that Penelope was head down, but that she was coming in at a weird angle.  I also fell on the stairs about two weeks before I gave birth. I landed right on my sacrum. Since Penelope was already head down, so she could have gotten it knocked out then.


So moral of the story, if you have child, take them to the chiropractor ASAP.  It is one of the main foundations of good health.  If your spine is not in alignment, you can never truly get to your optimal health levels.  And if your kid takes a tumble on a playground or soccer game, take them in. It is worth your time and money.


Have you ever taken your child to the chiropractor?