When you have sore or stiff muscles, there’s a simple home remedy that can ease your muscle pain in minutes—self-massage with a tennis ball. Remarkably easy to do and effective, the technique actually involves just lying on or pressing against a tennis ball. The pressure of your body’s weight on the ball is all you need to relieve muscle tension. Mark H. LaBeau, DO, at the Center for Advanced Medicine in Encinitas, California, explains how it can help you. We think you’ll find that it feels great…

This type of self-massage is based on bodywork techniques such as acupressure, in which pressure is applied at the point or points of tenderness. The back, neck and feet are the places most helped by tennis ball massage, but you can place a ball under any muscle or muscle area in which there is tenderness or a knot.

Repeat each exercise (as described below) multiple times a day, but limit the duration of each time to no more than 10 minutes. Doing it longer than that can irritate the tissue. Caution: Ongoing muscle discomfort that lasts for about a week or more may be a sign of a more complex condition, such as a muscle tear or tendonitis, and should be evaluated by your doctor.

THE EXERCISES

For the back

Lie comfortably on the floor, and position the ball under the area or areas where you are experiencing any tenderness or pain. Adjust as needed. You should feel relief of some or all of the pain within five minutes. Remain with the ball in place for up to 10 minutes.

For the neck

Lie on the floor or a bed, and position the ball in the natural curve at the back of the neck…at the base of the neck…or on either side of the neck that is sore. You should feel relief of some or all of the pain within five minutes. Remain with the ball in place for up to 10 minutes.

For the foot

Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the floor in front of you. Place a ball under your arch or any place that you feel pain. You can either press your foot into the ball—or roll over the tender point. (This is one time when rolling over the ball can help!)

WHICH BALL IS BEST?

While using a tennis ball is more common, Dr. LaBeau also encourages patients to experiment with a golf ball, which often is easier to use because it’s smaller. Try both—and see which works best for you. To relieve discomfort in two nearby areas, place two balls in a sock and arrange them at the points of tenderness.