Your gluteal muscles (your powerful buttock muscles) can cause pain in your hips, sacroiliac joints, your legs, lower back and feet.
You can massage your own gluteals (or glutes, for short) and it’s pretty easy.
A tennis ball or similar ball that is quite firm is a good tool you can use. This ball will cause pressure on the muscles and that will cause them to relax. Directions are below.
You could also use something larger like a small piece of carpet rolled into a tight tube, oh, maybe 2 feet long. Or, you can make your own “tennis ball” by rolling a face cloth into a relatively round ball shape and tying it with rubber bands.
Here’s how to use your pain-relieving pressure tool:
You will lie on the firm carpet roll or ball. Yes, it is as simple as that. 🙂
Lay on your back (preferably on the floor–if you lay on the bed, a lot of the ball gets lost in the mattress but if you have to be on the bed, then look for a larger firm ball) and place the tube or ball in the center of your glute on one side.
Look for the most uncomfortable place on your glute and place it there or roll onto it. Just move thoughtfully around until you find the place that hurts most and leave it on the ball. (You’re aiming for soft tissue/muscle. You don’t want to press on bones although sometimes really tight gluteal muscles might make you think of bones.)
And then just lay there. No moving is necessary.
Let gravity work for you.
In about 5 minutes, you will notice that you really don’t feel the ball much anymore in that spot. That means your gluteal muscles are relaxing. So move a little bit to find the next tender area. Remember, you are shooting for the gluteal muscles and not bones.
I usually find about 3 tender areas on one side. You may find more. When each area relaxes, just move on to the next.
Knowing how to self-massage is very useful. And when you lay ON a tool like this, it allows gravity and your body weight to do the work for you. 🙂
When your gluteal muscles are relaxed they will not cause back pain or hip pain any more. 🙂
Just in case you also have upper back pain, you can find more information about natural self-help relief for that issue at www.KnotsInYourBack.com
Hope to try this technique right away to minimize the pain that i’m having right now. Thanks for the tips.
You are very welcome! Deep pressure massage can be provided with a tool (like a tennis ball) or by a professional massage therapist or friend or family member. Deep massage gets into the thickest muscles and makes a big difference in helping muscles relax.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
Have been doing this for a while and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think I have been leaving it for long enough. Thanks Kathy
Hi Wendy, Stick to it and don’t rush. Take your time when you lay on a tennis ball or foam tool. Just breathe and let your muscles start to melt and soften. If it’s very uncomfortable, move slightly off the tender area and just creep up on it a little at a time as it starts to relax.
As a point of interest, some folks only have tight gluteal or buttock muscles on one side.
Kathryn