Wish you had a physio in your pocket?
Do you tend to suffer from tight sore muscles? Are you time poor? Bad at stretching regularly? Or want to break up the tension from sitting at work all day? A small, compact, easy to use spiky ball or Pocket Physio may become your new best friend!
Easy to stash in the desk drawer, hand luggage or gym bag, these devices are an easy way to release tight trigger points, relieve pain and create muscle relaxation.
So how does it work?
The fascia wraps around muscles like a continuous spider web and interlinks the whole body. It has a high number of mechano-receptors and these provide sensory feedback to the brain. The variations in pressure, direction and vibration that can be applied with a reflex (spiky) ball or pocket physio stimulate these different receptors and improve blood flow to the injured area. This not only reduces tension, but improves awareness and proprioception, decreases the threat perception/sensitivity to touch which can all help create an optimal healing environment.
If you are interesting in learning better ways to self- manage your pain, preventing injury, reversing the effects of prolonged sitting or need to supplement your strength training with stretching, one of our physiotherapist can set you up with a safe and effective program.
Common areas of use include:
• In the bottom (glutes) for back pain
• Great for use when stretching an injury might make it worse (e.g. some tendinopathies such as Achilles, hamstring or gluteal)
Pocket Physios and reflex balls are available at all Sports Focus Physio locations in Sydney
