The benefits of a massage ball are numerous and also dependent on that particular person’s needs.
I’ll attempt to cover some of those benefits I’ve seen in the last 25 plus years of working with clients.
- Treatment at Home The ability of having a massage ball at your disposal to work on problematic areas while watching your favorite TV show, or your desk at work can go a long way to speeding up healing time. The convenience is unmeasurable. Not having to align your schedule and find time that matches a therapists schedule eliminates a big hurdle when it comes to compliance.
- Ability to Take on the Road. These massage balls are small enough to take in a carry on bag without impact to much luggage space and definitely no noticeable weight. Travelling can expose yourself to new/different foot wear not to mention the likelihood of increased walking. Using a massage ball at the end of walking Disney grounds in flip flops can not only feeling essential but prep the feet for the retail therapy or the Zoo the next day.
- Restore foot mechanics The debate of should we be wearing shoes as much as we do will always continue with regards to it being an impairment to foot mobility. With that said, the foot should have mobility and some pliability. I’m sure you have seen pics or videos of people who may have lost their hands / arms and their feet are now the prime source of independence. Being able to hold a paint brush or drive a car shows what the body (and feet ) are capable of. The massage ball enables a person to manipulate their foot to their desired pressure and work around and into the smaller tissues and joints in the foot to hopefully create more balance between pliability and stability throughout the foot. Changing the foot from feeling like a “piece of wood” to an appendage that adjusts to its environment is unmeasurable to a persons function.
- Reduce or eliminate pain and discomfort Pain can be a big motivator to change behavior and take action. Having foot pain like plantar fasciitis can be very debilitating and dramatically change a person’s daily life. Using a massage ball gives the person control over how much treatment they need /want and intensity of what is manageable and comfortable to them. Having access to a therapeutic aid such as a massage ball can expedite the time a person spends in pain.
- Stop nighttime cramping I have covered this in another article but using the massage ball roller (and my preference the cork option) before bed can produce great results to avoiding that foot or calf cramp at 2am that the neighbors can hear.
A few minutes of rolling on the plantar side of the foot and calf can restore muscle tension to a better resting tension instead of the fatigued and excited state which is close to contraction and cramping.
