Do-It-Yourself Tennis Ball Back Massage

It’s tough to reach your own back for a massage, so try using tennis balls to do the job, says Ed Moore, a certified massage therapist who has worked with the U.S. Olympic cycling team.

Before you begin the massage, slide two tennis balls into a sock, tying off the open end of the sock so that the balls are touching each other, says Moore. Click here for clear instructions for this helpful, do-it-yourself l and feel-good massage.

First, says Moore, take a hot bath or shower, followed by some gentle stretching. Now lie on your back on the floor. Have the socks at hand and place them under the small of your back, one ball on each side of your spine.

Moore says to take a deep breath and let your body relax into the balls. Rock your hips gently from side to side. Then adjust your body slightly so that the balls more up your back a few inches. Hold that position briefly, then take a deep breath. Wait until you feel a sense of softening or melting into the balls before you move them farther up your back, says Moore.

Moore recommends taking about 10 to 15 minutes to work the balls up and down your back. If you have a particularly sore area on your back, he says that you can spend extra time with the balls touching that spot.

Read more: Health, Natural Remedies

Adapted from New Choices in Natural Healing, edited by Bill Gottlieb (Rodale Press, Prevention Magazine Health Books, 1995). Copyright (c) 1995, Rodale Press. Reprinted by permission of Rodale Press.
Adapted from New Choices in Natural Healing, edited by Bill Gottlieb (Rodale Press, Prevention Magazine Health Books, 1995).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Samuel T.

11:09AM PDT on May 19, 2011

I too have been using tennis or raquet balls to massage my back with for years and it's the best way I know to get into those sore places and really work out the knots and tension.

If you have a difficult time getting up and down off the floor you can put the ball between your back and the wall also and lean against it/them.

send a green star

Kamryn M.

3:23PM PDT on May 18, 2011

ouch. not sure this would cause more pain for me, but thanks for the idea.

EB P.

1:58PM PDT on Apr 27, 2011

THIS ABSOLUTELY WORKS!!!!!
I've been using this method for at least 10 years, for every kind of back pain, shoulder pain, headache (from neck strain), and wow does it work wonders!! It has saved me more than a dozen times from debilitating pain of all sorts. It really relaxes the knots and muscles and stops any future problems right at the start. Haven't had any major back problems for 10 years because of it.

Robert O.

6:24PM PST on Dec 30, 2010

Sounds good. Thanks.

Bon L.

3:55AM PST on Dec 26, 2010

Thanks for the info.

KS G.

5:02AM PDT on Aug 13, 2010

Thanks for the article.

Heather B.

5:57PM PST on Jan 24, 2010

This sounds great; thanks, Annie. My former massage therapist taught me to use a tennis ball for relieving menstrual cramps.

gerlinde p.

10:59PM PST on Jan 23, 2010

great tip thankyou so much.

Kirsty R.

9:40PM PST on Jan 12, 2010

Thanks for the post :-)

Hania D.

10:43AM PDT on Jul 21, 2007

hi i did this thing with the balls and i have to say thank you althought i need it to be my sholders and not my spin i just placed the balles in a sock and moved them to my sholders and moveing my arm and my hips seam to get it in the right spot .. thankyou veryt much
krazie kat