No one likes achy muscles. Whether you’ve been sat hunched over a computer all week, are feeling stressed or are temporarily struck with DOMS, muscle tension can be a real pain – literally.

And without addressing it, that prolonged tight feeling can make us feel sore, fatigued and give us poor range of motion. A great way to ease tension is through regular massage. This not only encourages the muscles to relax, but increases blood flow and reduces any aches or fluid retention.

WHAT CAUSES MUSCLE PAIN?

There are lots of reasons why you might feel muscle pain. Strengthening the body involves tearing lots of fibres in your muscles leading to an immune reaction – inflammation.

Anxiety and stress can make us feel tense so the muscles ache. Poor posture and weak muscles can also contribute to imbalances in the body. These can cause pain over time – especially in your back and shoulders.

And muscles can tighten up in response to a weakness or injury.

HOW CAN YOU EASE MUSCLE TENSION?

Massage plays an important part in helping the body repair muscles that have been overused. Not only can it help to reduce the amount of inflammation, but it also helps stimulate the parts of the cells which are responsible for function and repair.

Regular massage can also help your body adapt to the demands of more intense exercise, so you can manage your training more effectively. And with your muscles in full working order, you’ll be able to get the most out of your training as well as reduce the stresses and strains of daily life.

HOW TO SELF-MASSAGE

As much as we’d all love to have a professional massage every day, this is pretty unrealistic – not to mention expensive. Self-massage is a great solution and with the right tools, you can target pain when and wherever you need.

Foam rollers are great for massaging whole muscle groups. However, using them to target specific knots or areas of tension can be tricky.

That’s where Massage Ball come in. The firm, rounded surface allows you to pinpoint and ease pain by applying gentle pressure, while you stretch and lean into them. You can use them while lying on the floor, but you can also lean into them up against the wall if you want to reduce the amount of pressure applied.

TOP 5 WAYS TO SELF-MASSAGE:

GLUTES - Whether you’re a runner, suffer with sciatic-related pain or just spend a lot of time sitting down at work, self-massaging your glutes will really help relieve pain and tension around your hips, lower back and thighs. Stretch out into a position – similar to the Yoga Pigeon Pose – where you have one leg straight behind you and the other in front, in a crossed-leg position, while facing forward. Place the Mirafit Lacrosse Massage Ball underneath your glute (of your front leg) where you can feel the most tension, and then lean forward to intensify the pressure.

SHOULDERS - Many of us experience tension in between the shoulders. It can be one of the places where we get the most knots. The Mirafit Double Massage Ball is perfect for easing tension in this area and minimising trigger points. Ergonomically designed, the central dip means you can massage the muscles around your shoulder blades, without any unnecessary pressure being applied to your spine. This can sometimes be a problem when using a foam roller on this area. One of the easiest ways to ease tension in this area is to lean your back against a wall with the massage balls placed behind you. Then bend your knees up and down to gently ease out your knots. If this gets too tiring on your legs, you can lie down with the massage balls in place behind you and roll your shoulders/stretch your arms up and down to target knots. This is also a good way to ease tension around the base of your neck – ideal if you get a lot of tension headaches.

FOREARMS - Working at a computer for long periods of time and carrying heavy bags around with us can mean we experience a lot of tension in our forearms and wrists. The Mirafit Double Massage Balls are perfect for helping to ease any soreness in these areas. Place the balls on a table or flat surface in front of you. Simply extend your arm in front of you and back again, with the balls underneath to massage this area. You can target both sides this way – plus it’s a nice easy massage which provides instant relief from long days in the office.

HAMSTRINGS - Leg day, Yoga, hill sprints – exercise can take a real toll on our legs, making them feel tight and sore. The Double Massage Ball is great for easing tension in the hamstrings after a workout, as well as reducing your risk of strains. Simply sit on the floor with the Double Massage Ball placed underneath your leg where your glute meets your hamstring. Lean forward to intensify the massage. Move and repeat as necessary down the leg to loosen your muscles and improve flexibility.

FEET - After a long day on your feet, a Lacrosse Massage Ball under your soles can work wonders. Simply find a comfy spot, relax and roll the ball gently on each foot to soothe away those aches and pains.

And at such great value, Mirafit Massage Balls are a really useful and affordable tool to have at home to use whenever you need.

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Tags: Equipment > Massage Balls ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Misc > Recovery