While we love fixing all of our amazing clients, what we love even more is when our clients listen to their therapists recommendations for homework and self care, so we’ve compiled a list of resources to make sure that you have a self care tool box at home.
These are some of our favorite things that help all of us with our own pain points and what we recommend to our clients.
- Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls Plus-I always say that if you only have one set of balls in your arsenal, these are the ones you want. Large enough to target muscle groups such as quads and glutes but small enough for precise, targeted work on smaller areas like the feet and jaw. These therapy balls are like a foam roller that gets into all of the nooks and crannies. Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls Plus (so that is what pasted when I copied/pasted the HTML code).
- Yoga Tune Up Alpha Ball-when you want something for larger muscles, the Alpha ball is your best bet to roll out those tight glutes from sitting too much, that aching IT band from all of that running you’ve been doing or you just want broader pressure across the chest and shoulders from all of that lifting you’ve been doing. Yoga Tune Up Alpha Ball
- Yoga Tune Up Coregeous Ball-ideal for myofascial release and more gentle work, the Corgeous ball is an air filled ball that you can use anywhere things feel tight. A perfect option for anyone with scar tissue (especially in the cases of mastectomies and cancer treatments), this gentle ball will help to smooth out adhesions from scar tissue, radiation or simply bound up and wound up areas that cause you pain. Bonus, it makes a great little pillow and support for plane rides! Yoga Tune Up Coregeous Ball
- Stretch Out Trap-this is our favorite strap for stretching! And not all straps are created equal. What we love about the Stretch Out Strap from OPTP is the individual loops that allow you to adjust each stretch to your comfort (or discomfort) level. OPTP Stretch Out Strap
- Foam roller-just like yoga straps not all being equal, neither are foam rollers. Please stop with the hard, nubby foam rollers that you think are doing you some good while you’re grimacing in pain. The soft density foam roller from OPTP is perfect for anyone who is new to foam rolling, or who wants to roll with more ease. If your foam roller doesn’t bend, get one that does! OPTP Soft Density Foam Roller
- Massage gun-a quick search for massage guns will yield you hundreds, if not thousands of results. However, at Michigan Massage and Wellness we don’t buy cheap products to use on you. While the Therapybody Mini Massage Gun isn’t the cheapest, it’s one of the best we’ve tried. The small size is perfect to toss in your gym bag or suitcase and take on vacation and even on the lowest setting you’ll love being able to work out those knots when your favorite massage therapist is booked. Theragun Mini Massage Gun
- Vibration plate-do you remember those old ads that you (or your parents) would see in the back of magazines where women would stand on these plate things and a large belt would wrap around them and start to shake? Well, meet the 21st century version that actually has proven clinical benefits such as aiding in lymphatic drainage, may improve bone density, fat loss, circulation and more. If you’re suffering from any kind of swelling, or lymphedema, or you’re just on your feet a lot, this is worth every penny. Be sure to try ours next time you are at the office! LifePro Vibration Plate
- Yoga blocks-while you absolutely can buy the cheap foam yoga blocks, personally I prefer cork. For one, they are MUCH sturdier. Two, okay maybe I only prefer them because they are sturdy. But I’ve propped my couch up with these blocks and they’ve been fine. Plus these are great for using your Plus therapy balls to roll out the base of your skull when you feel a headache creeping in. Yoga Blocks
- Chirp Wheel-full confession, I have owned a knock off Chirp Wheel for a few years and while it’s nice on occasion, I recently purchased a real Chirp Wheel and WOW! So much better! If you’re just starting out, we recommend going with a larger size before moving down. I own both the 10″ one and the 6″ deep tissue and even as someone who gets regular bodywork, the 6″ can still be tough to spend a lot of time on, but it’s fantastic for rolling out your back and the divot in the middle around the padding is just lovely. Worth the investment. Chirp Wheel