Body tension is a concern that many people face— especially those who have persistent pain, increased stress, a sedentary, or conversely a highly active job. To address this tension and pain, people often seek out physical therapy treatment.
During physical therapy sessions you can work hard to achieve and maintain flexibility, motion, and strength, but oftentimes, at the conclusion of treatment, you seem to have more discomfort. This can be discouraging and overwhelming, but don’t fret! This is a normal human experience as our bodies retrain, heal, and grow. There are big, healing changes happening!
3 Tips for Treating Body Tension At Home
- Let pain be your guide. Always sink into your tissues by maintaining gentle, firm pressure. If your pain increases as you treat your body tension, or you feel odd sensations or numbness, release pressure. Begin again with less force. If you have tried more than twice and are still experiencing pain, stop and speak with your healthcare provider for some guidance on how to adjust your strategy.
- Pay attention to the other areas of your body. If you are utilizing a tool that is bringing you body tension relief in one area but increasing pain somewhere else. Please discontinue use until you can speak with your healthcare provider.
- Practice mindfulness while treating body tension at home. Practicing mindfulness during your body tension relief exercises can help you to deepen that stretch and hold a position through the discomfort.
Taking charge of your body tension discomfort, and treating yourself with various self-care tools is an empowering experience. That’s why I love the following 4 products to help treat any stubborn body tension you may experience when you’re outside of your physical therapy appointments.
4 Products to Help Get Rid of Stubborn Body Tension
Why I love it: This set of three massage balls from Amazon is great for any soft tissue massage or joint mobility work you desire. The set comes with: a 2.5-inch rubber lacrosse ball, a 5-inch deep tissue ball, and a 2.5-inch x 5-inch peanut roller, and comes with a handy bag to keep everything together. They’re small enough to pack in a carry-on or gym bag or even store away to leave at the office.
They’re great for increasing spine flexibility, and have the ability to target every muscle from the top of your head to the tippy tips of your toes! The balls have varying densities to help you adapt to any level of muscle pain from surface to deep tissue. I use these for the following muscles: upper trapezius, levator scapulae, paraspinal, quadratus lumborum, hip flexors, piriformis, and for scar mobilization like C-section scars. Take ownership over your body and be your own magic hands!
How to use it: Use the massage balls for 3-7 minutes per spot. This can be done daily, or as needed.
Why I love it: This foam roller from Amazon is another great tool to address your soft tissues and joints. Rollers differ from the myofascial balls in that they allow for pressure to be more widely distributed. I personally find them helpful when treating larger muscle groups such as quadriceps, hamstrings or lats (latissimus dorsi), to name a few. It offers a solid, dense, yet extremely lightweight construction which may be preferential to the ridge edges of the version below for some people.
Why I love it: Another great foam roller option, is The Morph from Brazyn Performance Life, is made of eco-friendly and strong materials like bamboo and aluminum, and is tested at over 350lbs, The Morph is a sturdy-yet-lightweight, travel-friendly option for a foam roller. It easily fits inside a suitcase, gym bag, or even backpack to easily bring your body tension relief even when you’re on the go.
I personally use The Morph for my larger muscles, such as my thoracic spine to gain extension, piriformis, gluteal, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves lateral thigh, etc. Foam rollers are a great way to work on mobility, self-myofascial release, and down-training.
Why I love it: Theracane is pretty obviously shaped liked a cane, with 6 short treatment ball protrusions throughout to allow for treatment of multiple trigger points throughout the body.
How to use it: Apply lotion to the area, gently push the cane into your soft tissues, hold in place for 30-60 seconds to release the muscle, and then keeping pressure applied, gently glide across the skin. Remember to practice your diaphragmatic breathing throughout this process! You can also pin the muscle down as you gently, but firmly move back and forth to mobilize the targeted structure. This is a great product to have at the office or at home to ease areas of tension or pain.
Why You Should Treat Body Tension At-Home
Body tension is a concern that many people face— especially those who have persistent pain, increased stress, a sedentary, or conversely a highly active job. To address this tension and pain, people often seek out physical therapy treatment.
During physical therapy sessions you can work hard to achieve and maintain flexibility, motion, and strength, but oftentimes, at the conclusion of treatment, you seem to have more discomfort. This can be discouraging and overwhelming, but don’t fret! This is a normal human experience as our bodies retrain, heal, and grow. There are big, healing changes happening!
To support your healing journey, at-home self-treatment of body tension and stress is a necessity. If your physical therapist does not give you specific areas to focus on, I encourage you to ask them for guidance.
(Also, feel free to utilize the videos provided on my YouTube channel to gain more information and modification suggestions so that you and your provider can identify some areas in need of a little extra attention.)
More content you may like:
Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Laura Meihofer’s LLC is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program and others, as an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products Laura organically uses and trusts. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Laura will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps her spread her message!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.