Mobilization Techniques
While the self massage techniques are a great jumping off point to loosen up muscles and relieve knots/spasms, sometimes they are not enough to restore full mobility. In other words, the muscles and joints remain tight and stiff for so long that they actually become stuck in that position. For these situations, we can then begin to use active mobilizations (aka tennis ball mobilizations) and joint mobilizations. Both of these techniques use pressure to anchor down one end and then move/glide the other end. This allows them to break up restrictions and adhesions by stretching the muscle or joint against itself. The main difference between the two is that active mobilizations work on the muscle and their tendons and joint mobilizations work on the joint itself. These techniques are not held or worked on for time. Instead we use repetitions with the goal of slow, controlled movements for each.
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