DOLCE LIFESTYLE:
7 Moves to Roll Away the Pain
by Samantha Coogan, MS, RDN, LD
When we go hard in the gym, we tend to pay a small price for doing so in muscle soreness. For me, soreness is almost a good feeling because it’s a way for me to prove to myself that I pushed myself. However, that doesn’t mean we should just let it go away on its own. It’s really important to incorporate mobility into your daily routine to help you recover more quickly and prevent future injury to an already stressed muscle during your next bout of exercise. So try these foam rolling stretches and tennis ball massage techniques to bring some relief to those sore muscles.
1. For foot pain:
• While sitting, step on a tennis or lacrosse ball (lacrosse ball is a little sturdier) with a bare or socked foot and roll back and forth from heel to toe with firm pressure.
• If anywhere feels particularly painful or tender, work those knots out by rolling in small circles.
2. Lower back* (Post-deadlift day)
• Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet planted on the ground.
• Place two tennis or lacrosse balls under your lower back around where your sacrum — the large, triangular bone at the base of the spine — meets your hip bone.
• Raise and lower your hips, kneading the area with the tennis balls.
*Ladies, this one is also great for lower back pain from PMS!
3. For stiff knees:
• While sitting, straighten your leg and let it rest so the muscles in your quad are softened.
• Press into where it hurts with a fingertip and massage in a star shape for 10 seconds.
• Bend and straighten your knee twice.
• Repeat 2–3 times for each place it hurts.
4. For a sore backside
(either from squats, pistol squats, lunges or even sitting too long):
• Sit on the ground with your legs bent, your hands resting on the ground behind you, and a tennis or lacrosse ball under your butt cheek.
• Lift your leg off the ground and roll around on the ball, working into the places you feel most tension. This will hurt if you’re doing it correctly.
• Repeat on your other side.
5. For sore forearms
(either from kettlebells, pull-ups, or any other grip-intensive activity):
• Hold your arm out, palm up, and cup it just under the elbow with your opposite hand.
• Flip your arm within your grip so your palm faces the ground.
• Repeat all down your arm until you reach your wrist.
These next two require a foam roller. There are many foam rollers on the market today, but here is one we use all the time (and like!) from Trigger Point Performance:
6. For sore hips/legs/knees:
• Lie on your side with a foam roller under your hip.
• Using your hands to brace you, slowly roll down from your hip to your knee, rotating your body toward the ground as you go. You’ll be hitting the IT band in this position, and yes, it’s painful.
• Roll back into the starting position and repeat on the other side.
7. For an achy back:
• Lie down on your back with feet shoulder-width apart.
• Center a foam roller on your mid-back, beneath your shoulder blades so it’s perpendicular to your body.
• Rock your body toward and away from your feet over the foam roller. For an even deeper stretch, extend your arms above your head as your roll back and forth.
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