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My Body Is High Maintenance. I Rely On These Five Self-Massage Tools to Keep It Healthy.

These self-care tools help put injury prevention and healing in my own hands

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(Photo: Lisa Jhung)

My mind and my body don’t always agree with each other. While my mind is always game for adventures like monster trail runs in the mountains, hopping into a Masters swim session, or trying for a dyno at the climbing gym, my body regularly puts the brakes on. I’m always straining something; I’m regularly in pain.

I don’t chalk it all up to the fact that I’m not 20-something any more. Since my teens, I’ve needed to listen to my body and do a lot of maintenance in the form of strength training, physical therapy treatments, and mobility exercises. So much physical therapy. So many exercises.

Roughly 10 years ago, I was told I have a connective tissue disorder. My lax ligaments and tendons mean I slip out of alignment easily, which causes all sorts of issues. Instead of doing less, however, I learned I needed to do more. I need to constantly strength train, keep my activities varied, and do a lot of self-care. My body needs maintenance.

To keep from constantly booking appointments and spending money on things like deep tissue massage and dry needling, I’ve found tools that let me treat issues on my own time, my own dime, and in my own space at home. While I still need to visit experts for bigger issues, I can often address small pains and strains before they become problematic.

Here are the self-care tools I rely on to keep me healthy and moving.

Lacrosse Ball

Targeted Body Parts: Upper back, chest, glutes, hamstrings, feet

A simple lacrosse ball is super effective at targeting tight spots in specific muscles like glutes and trapezoids because it’s small and just the right level of firm. A physical therapist friend showed me how to place the ball between my back and a wall and roll up and down, applying as much pressure as I need (and can stand). I also work out tight pectoralis muscles by facing a wall—utilizing a corner, so I can breathe. I dig into my glutes by rolling the ball on the ground beneath me. I find a lacrosse ball can break up muscle tightness almost as well as dry needling or deep tissue massage—it just takes more time, and I have to do it myself.

Roll Recovery R8 Deep Tissue Massage Roller

Targeted Body Parts: Calves, shins, quads, hamstrings, IT bands, forearms

In my experience, nothing gets into the calves, tibialis (shin muscles), or forearms like an R8 Roller. Two sets of rollers surround muscles to give a powerful, effective squeeze— like the hands of a good sports masseuse. I clamp this thing down on my calf, quad, or forearm and roll it back and forth for targeted muscle massage. The roller has tension settings that allow tightening or loosening of the spring configuration, letting me customize the compression force, depending on the muscle group in need and how tight I am.

Trigger Point Therapy Core Foam Roller

Targeted Body Parts: Total body

A good foam roller is, perhaps, the most versatile of all self-care tools. I roll on this to stretch out my upper back and gain mobility in my thoracic spine. I also lie on it lengthwise to open up my pectoral muscles. And I frequently roll out my glutes, TFL, IT bands, quads, adductors, hamstrings, and quads. I like the surface pattern on the TPT Core roller, which makes rolling feel more like a massage.

Wave Tools Therapy Wave Tool

Targeted Body Parts: Soft tissue/fascia virtually anywhere on the body.

I slide this firm, fiberglass/nylon tool across my skin to identify and break up fascial tightness and adhesions. The tool has various angles and curves to address different body parts and issues. I use it mostly with a little muscle balm or skin salve to work out junk in my quads, but it can be used to release muscles and tight fascia anywhere.

Body Back Buddy

Targeted Body Parts: Upper/middle back, neck

As much as I wish I could get my husband or sons to dig their thumbs into my upper middle back as often as I need it, that’s not going to happen, so I’m grateful for this hard plastic tool I bought from a massage therapy place years ago. Its funky shape allows me to dig one of the knobs into a tight spot on my back using leverage with the other end. The dual knobs work great for releasing tension on the back of my neck, too.