Foam rollers/therapy balls

[Cher]

I've been having a slight pain in my hip/glute area. I've been trying some stretching and it does help but I thought about maybe trying a foam roller. Once I started looking, I realized they are much more expensive than I thought and many varieties including the therapy balls like Jill Miller uses. I'm so confused as to what to get.

Any help, advice, explanations or suggestions for size or whether I should get a softer or firmer one would be greatly appreciated.

[athompson10]

For a foam roller, I think the high-density ones are the perfect mix of firm but not rock-hard. There are some in the $20 range at Amazon. I have a 36" one, which offers the most flexibility for all exercises and is long enough for you to lie on. Don't invest in the 'rumble' rollers (with all the raised treads, like a snow tire) until you find out if you really like foam rolling and want more pressure.

I take Pilates classes at the PT studio of a professional dance company. The PTs and Pilates teachers use a mix of the Styrofoam-looking inexpensive white rollers and the high-density rollers, some plain and some with fancy markings and ridges. All get hard, constant use and all are durable and easily cleaned if they get grubby.

How big a therapy ball are you looking for? My Pilates teacher loves tennis balls for muscle-release work; cheap and effective.

[antbuko]

I have all of Jill Miller's therapy balls and find them very useful. Using them is very intuitive, same with the foam roller, just roll until you find that painful spot and roll some more. I have the foam roller that came with Karen Voight's infomercial set a few years back but I don't know if it's still available. I've seen them at Walmart too, you might be able to find one locally for an affordable price. And then to give you an idea about how the balls feel, try a pinky ball, although to me Jill's therapy balls feel a little denser, but the pinky balls are dirt cheap. Just roll your hip on it and even just park it under your hip if you are lounging on the couch. Both the foam roller and the balls really get at that tender spot in the glutes. I've had that pain before.

There are foam roller and ball videos on youtube. Just search for yoga therapy balls and you'll get plenty of tips for how to use them.

[cherimac]

I started foam rolling achy areas for about 5 minutes prior to a workout in January. It's made a HUGE difference for me, Cher.

[bubbles76]

PerformBetter has great physical therapy equipment, to include foam rollers of all sizes.

[bzar]

although i have Jill Miller's balls (), which are yellow, i second the pinky balls. here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-PINKY-...nce+pinky+ball

in the amazon link above, read the reviews, and see what Amazon shows as "other people looked at" to give you ideas on its therapeutic use.

i was really lucky to acquire Jill's CD set from a craiglist seller, similar to what is shown here, except that i got 3 CDs - UB, LB and a meditation CD, the 2 balls, a tiny mesh bag to use with the balls, and a wall chart in my kit:

https://www.yogatuneup.com/lower-bod...-ball-cd-combo

yes, you can just purchase some balls and figure out on your own what to do, but these CDs gave me really good ideas that i wouldn't have been able to think of on my own. Jill uses the 2 balls together. they're smaller than a tennis ball.

i used to use tennis balls long ago before i got Jill's set, and occasionally, i use tennis balls. i also use golf balls for my feet. and i've also used a spiky ball for my feet, similar to this (you can type in "spiky ball" on amazon, and a variety shows up:
http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Porcupi...rds=spiky+ball

regarding foam roller, i had the Karen Voight kit, but it's got a slightly larger diameter. i ended up giving it to my mom, and purchased a different one for $35 through my friend who is a personal trainer at a gym.

i'm used to and prefer a more intense massage, so the hard type of foam roller suits me fine. some people don't like it, though. i have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/36-White-Foam-...te+foam+roller

some comments about Jill's DVDs - a very generous VFer SASE'd one of her DVDs to me, and i really like it, and i found one of her DVDs at a used book store. both are different from one another - no repeated moves, and both deal with the UB. neither of them use the therapeutic balls.

[Jane P.]

I saw a book at B & N called Roll Model where she uses all kinds of balls for therapy. You might want to take a look at it.

[lrb04]

Hi Cheryl! As you know & see I am a huge Jill Miller fan. I have never used a foam roller so I can't comment there. I do try to use the yoga tune up balls for rolling daily if I can, I do it after working out. I have never tried the pinky balls so no comment there. Jill says that tennis balls having fuzz does not grip to the skin like hers do. I have both her DVDs - massage & training kit which are helping in showing you how to use the balls. I also have her book. I tried a challenge near the end of last year where I used almost daily shoulder massage techniques to my shoulders especially my left one which was injuried some 10+ years ago. This shoulder had limited ROM & I was always afraid of moving it too quick or in the spot which caused the shoulder socket to seem like it was half out & extremely painful. This caused me to limit my shoulder during exercise & use of weights poundage on that arm. Well after using her tune up balls it relaxed the tissues & helped heal them so the tightness loosened & I have full ROM there. I still roll the shoulder but I no longer have to do it daily. So Jill helped me so much that it is amazing. I not saying it will help every pain but it sure helped mine & it makes sense. I would think the balls would be able to get in tight spots that are hard to reach.

[Eibhinn]

In my household we have two foam rollers and two sets of yoga tune up balls (now supplemented with two lacrosse balls). The foam rollers almost never get used. At least for the issues we have, which include hip pain/stiffness, we find the balls far more useful than the rollers. Foam rollers are great, but I find that you need to support your bodyweight in more awkward ways when using them than the balls, which can be counterproductive. For example when I'm rolling out my legs I end up tensing up my upper body and upper back from having to support so much of my bodyweight on my arms. I also find it easier to target tenseness with the balls, get very specific points like the piriformis, and reach areas that are awkward to target with a big tube of foam, like in the upper back, shoulders, and neck. My partner and I have repeatedly discussed getting rid of the foam rollers since they barely ever get used, but then we think, "ah, but we already have them." If I had it all to do over again, I would have just bought more tune-up balls instead of the rollers. Not only do we find them less useful, they we also more expensive and take up way more space.

Jill Miller's 2 DVD set has been a godsend for us. My stubborn won't-go-to-the-doctor partner went from barely being able to walk due to hip pain to mountain biking, running and hiking regularly. This is the only thing he used for therapy. If you bought four pinkie balls and tied up two of them in an old piece of pantyhose or something (in lieu of a mesh bag), you'd be all set to use this. You only use two at a time, but I like having four since sometimes she uses them alone, and sometimes together in the bag and I hate messing around putting them in and out of the bag.
https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/Jil...-Set-p/379.htm

[lreidgreen]

I am currently in physical therapy for hip pain on my right side-including the piriformis, hip flexor, tensor fascia latae, etc. I have a number of muscle imbalances contributing to this pain and lower back issues. The PT suggested rolling the areas with a tennis ball. Then I brought in Jill Miller's YTU balls - the original and these alpha balls:
https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/Yog...ote-p/1189.htm
She had never seen the YTU balls but was impressed with the Alpha Ball. The home exercise program the PT gave me includes using the alpha ball on my low back and the front of the hip. She said when it improves and is less painful I can start to use the smaller ball. She also just gave me instructions to roll my calves because she said tight calves inhibit the multifidis (sp) which stabilize the lower back. Who knew?

I only have been using the balls for rolling for a little more than a week and I feel much better.

BTW: Mary/total fitness also sells the individual Alpha balls. They are also available on Amazon I think but not sure if the pricing is competitive with Mary.

And thanks Ebhinn for the idea of using old pantyhose for a mesh sack- I don't have one for the original YTU balls that I got years ago before she offered the mesh bags.I have the on demand pain relief DVD but have not used it yet.