February 26, 2021
In recent years, the massage ball has been growing in popularity among office workers and freelancers. This compact and small ball is not only able to eliminate fatigue and pain resulting from excess sitting or overwork, but it also helps to relieve sore and tight muscles due to exercise. So, is it true that massage ball is really that magic? If so, what are the working principles? How to properly apply a massage ball without hurting yourself? Next, we are going to cover all the questions mentioned above.
What is Massage Ball? Massage ball has appeared early before in the history of China. At that time, it is called the Baoding massage ball and is made of iron. In the theory of traditional Chinese therapy, massage ball helps to stimulate trigger points, promote blood circulation and alleviate fatigue.
Nowadays, the most commonly used massage balls are made of PVC, which is safe, durable and elastic. Its primary working principle is to relieve muscle pain and soreness through stimulating trigger points. So, what are trigger points? They are certain tight muscle groups due to overworking or over-stress.
Stressed muscle would lead to muscle pain because of the outermost layer of fascia outside of muscles. It wraps around muscles like plastic wrap. When you get tense muscle, both the muscle and fascia have shifted, which would cause muscle tension and pain. At this point, it is necessary and important to stimulate these trigger points to relax the muscles and relieve muscle pain. Massage balls are a perfect tool for stimulating trigger points.
There are a variety of types of massage balls on the market including the most common spiky massage balls, peanut-shaped massage balls, foam rollers, massage balls with a patent. They are different in shapes and materials, but they work in the same way.
Massage balls allow for massage on any sore or painful area of the body including shoulders, neck, back, hips, thighs, calves, soles, forearms, abs, chest and more. It is a great physical therapy for overworked or strained muscles, as well as a new way to relax the body. In addition, trigger points may cause pain not only in specific areas, but also in other areas nearby, which is called referred pain. That’s the reason why sometimes a long-time muscle tension in the shoulder and neck may lead to headaches. Overall, massage ball is ideal for relieving muscle tension and pain due to either hot workout sessions or overwork.
Besides, many have noted that we are more likely to feel sore and stiff muscles right after exercise.
Th reason for that is when the energy generated from aerobic metabolism is not enough to keep the body functioning during exercise, then the muscle will break down glucose to get more energy, which also produced lactic acid. As more and more lactic acid being produced, you will feel soreness and pain in the muscle. Massage is an efficient way to accelerate the breakdown of lactic acid so it would be great to incorporate massage balls into your hot workout program
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