What are these spiky balls all about!

Spiky balls

Spiky balls have been used for years by physiotherapists, massage therapists and sports professionals, but they are an excellent addition to any home especially if you are exercising regularly, suffer with tight muscles, or regularly get tension headaches. Spiky balls are inexpensive, come in a range of colours, differ in their firmness, and are portable so there is one to suit everyone.

What are Spiky balls?

Spiky balls are a small ball covered with spikes, hence their name, they can also be called prickle or massage balls. They come in a range of sizes and can vary in both the softness of the ball and the length of their spikes. Not everyone finds them enjoyable but if you can work with it, they can provide some amazing benefits.

Why would you use a spiky ball?

Spiky balls can be used for lots of conditions, injuries, aches, and pains. They help to increase blood flow to the muscles, allowing the muscles to reduce tension and in doing so reducing pain. With regular use of spiky balls, you can cut down the need for deep tissue and sports massage.

Here are a few examples of things they can help with:

• Lower back pain.

• Hamstring tightness.

• Tight or sore glute muscles (buttock muscles)

• Upper back or neck stiffness.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome.

• Plantar fasciitis.

• Rotator cuff tightness/shoulder injuries

How to use a spiky ball

When you use a spiky ball, you are trying to find a trigger point within your body (a tight spot in a muscle) once you have found this you can then apply your body weight to release the trigger point. You can use the balls in sitting, standing, or lying positions. Basically, if you have a sore or tight spot in your body place the spiky ball on the muscle and gently apply pressure for around 60 seconds. You can also carefully move your body around so the ball could be going in an up and down or side to side motion if you need to release a greater area of muscle tension.

Ideally, you would use your spiky ball 2-3 times per week on a regular basis for maintenance, or more frequently during times of flare up or injury.

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are basically a tight band of skeletal muscle. They can be active, which means they cause pain even at rest and may refer pain to other areas of the body. They can also be latent which doesn’t cause pain at rest but can restrict range of movement or cause a degree of muscle weakness. The most common areas to find trigger points are the head, neck, shoulder, lower back, pelvis, hamstrings, and glutes. The elimination of trigger points is especially important in the management of chronic pain conditions.

When should you not use a spiky ball?

• If you have a medical condition or are pregnant, always check with your GP first.

• If you are having cancer treatment.

• If you have a skin lesion/sunburn/graze or cut to the skin.

• If you have very thin or fragile skin.

• In a bruised area.

How does it feel to use a spiky ball?

If muscles are very tight there will be an element of discomfort, a similar feeling to a deep tissue massage, but the good thing about learning to use them on yourself if that you can control the level of pressure, and therefore how much pain you inflict upon yourselves. It should never be a pain that you can’t manage and if you feel any sharp pains, pins and needles or burning sensation you should stop and seek advice from a GP or health professional.

Spiky balls and Fascia

What is Fascia?

In simple terms, fascia is the body´s connective tissue, it covers you from head to toe and acts as a framework to support and protect organs and muscles. To help you visualise fascia we can use an orange. The outer peel of the orange is our skin, and the white fibrous inner layer of the orange can represent the fascia within the body. We have a layer of fascia underneath our skin that completely envelopes the body. It is found everywhere including beneath the skin, around bones, muscles, groups of muscles, nerves, organs, cells, and blood vessels. Biologically, fascia is what holds us together.

What is the difference between Muscle and Fascia?

Fascia provides a protective layer around muscles which protect the body from outside trauma.

Muscle is simply a soft tissue that can contract to produce movement.

Understanding Fascia

If you experience fascial adhesions and distortions, this can cause weaker nerve impulses, poor blood flow, and a limited range of motion. The distortions in the fascia can play a role in pulling and compressing the body into misalignment. Therefore, it is safe to that that you are likely to suffer from several physical ailments if your fascia becomes weak.

Even if you experience fascial tension in one structure such as the knee, the tension can affect adjacent structures such as the ankle and hip too.

When the fascia is tight, it can constrict the nerves and block off the nerve signal.

In addition, a tight fascia can also cause a restriction in the flow of your circulatory system, leading to poor blood flow. Poor circulation leads to a restricted, limited supply of nutrients and oxygen to your cells.

Are you hurting your Fascia?

Almost all of us, in one way or another, are negatively impacting our fascia. Even simple, everyday things such as the way you stand, sit, and walk can hurt your fascia.

If you have a poor posture, your fascia will have to compensate for the micro-trauma in the body caused by the poor form.

If you sustain an injury and don´t, get it treated and healed properly, your fascia will have to work harder to make up for the imbalance.

Is it possible for you to restore your Fascia?

Although much about fascia is still unknown, we do know that it is possible for you to maintain healthy fascia and to restore it.

There are things you can do to ensure that your fascia works along with your other systems, instead of against them.

• Good nutrition - It is essential for you to fuel your body with good nutrition so that you can function well, repair, and thrive. If you deprive of your body of nutrients and vitamins it will negatively affect your fascia.

• Stay hydrated - Staying hydrated is essential for your health and well-being. There is fluid in fascia, that helps to deliver nutrients all around the body and removes waste.

• Good posture - Poor posture can weaken muscles and cause micro-traumas in the body. Your fascia will then have to work harder to compensate.

• Stretch and exercise - Frequent physical activity promotes good blood flow and reduces tension and fascial restriction.

• Massage and spiky balls – Sports and deep tissue massage can help to reduce tension in the fascia, but these can be expensive, so spiky balls are a way of achieving similar results. With regular use spiky balls can reduce the tension build up in fascia and within deep muscles, allowing the body to function with less aches and pain.