Tag Archives: get rid of muscle knots in your back

Neck Pain, Shoulder Pain, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

Pain In The Left Side Of Your Upper Shoulder And Neck

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Why do I have pain in upper back
Pain in upper back and shoulder

If you have pain in the left side of your upper shoulder and neck, right about where they meet, guess what the cause might be?

Sure it’s muscles, most likely.  But why are they complaining?

1.  Do you type?  Do you sit facing toward the right while you are at the computer?  The best way is to face the monitor or your material squarely in front of your nose.

2.  Do you always watch the television from an angle?  Or sit in the same corner of the same couch with your head tilted?  How about changing position so you look directly and straight at the television or book?

3.  Do you sleep on your side with your head tilted either up or down?   You can prop your neck and head in a more neutral position to avoid neck muscle strain.

4.  Do you tuck the phone Continue reading Pain In The Left Side Of Your Upper Shoulder And Neck →

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Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

Four Ways to Use a Tennis Ball to Get Rid of Knots in Your Back Naturally!

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Got muscle “knots” in your upper back?

Tennis balls make really nice tools to get rid of muscle spasms in your back.  This doesn’t work for all knots, however.

It’s actually better to figure out the cause(s) of your muscle “knots” but here we go!

(1)  I recommend laying on a tennis ball so gravity and the weight of your body do all the work.  Place the ball under your body as you lie on your back.  Let the ball press on a muscle knot for about 5 minutes and then shift a bit to the next most tender knot.

If it’s too much for you to lie on the floor, you could pad the floor to make it easier.  Only lie on a bed if absolutely necessary, because the therapy ball will be lost in the softness of a mattress.  It will not be as effective.

(2) You can put a tennis ball in a sock or sack and hold it behind you with the open end of the sack in your hand.  Then you can lean against a wall and the ball will be between you and the wall.

I believe it’s more effective to use the floor but you might not want to lie down at work.

(3)  You can thoughtfully place a tennis ball or similar ball in front of your shoulder and upper arm and hold static pressure or roll the ball to massage the area.

The muscles in the front of the body get short and tight from everyday living and can cause strain and muscle spasm in your back.

(4)  Stand and support yourself in a doorway while rolling one foot back and forth over a therapy ball with pressure.  This helps relax and normalize foot and leg muscles so you can have better posture.

Better posture means less back pain. 🙂

Here’s the e-mail response I got from Rich about tennis ball therapy and the knots in his back.  He has some good ideas!

> Hello Kathryn,
>
> Tried the tennis balls but I just crushed them.  Switched to Lacrosse balls
> and they seem to help. However, when you hit the “spot”, it will bring tears
> to your eyes.

(3)  I found that if I start at Continue reading Four Ways to Use a Tennis Ball to Get Rid of Knots in Your Back Naturally! →

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