Does pain stop you from enjoying things you would otherwise like to do? Do you just accept that it’s normal to get pain from doing certain…
BakBalls: How to use
BakBalls can provide self relief to back pain and stiffness, accelerate recovery from back injury and reduce the chance of recurring pain.
Through localised pressure on stiff joints, BakBalls provide a safe self-management technique as part of a treatment plan.
How to use your BakBalls
Spend 20-30seconds on each level, moving to different levels throughout the spine.
Up to 5mins daily as tolerated.
Upper Back
click for instructions
Progress using the following positions and movements:
- Hands by Side
- Hands hugging chest (or behind head, elbows together)
- Rotate / Oscillate back and forth to bias 1 side
- Rock back and forth into extra Extension
- Lift bum off ground (bridge) to increase load
- Arms Overhead
- especially good for upper thoracic
- especially good for upper thoracic
- Rolling
- deeper effect with more of a massaging motion
Lower Back
click for instructions
- Place BakBall under low back
- bring knees to chest
- Either hold this position or oscillate your knees in and out of thIs position slightly
Is your pain on 1 side? Try these…
- Pull only 1 knee up (or up more than the other)
- pull both knees toward your shoulder
- rock / roll toward the affected side
Alter the intensity by changing the surface
For the lightest pressure, use by leaning up against a wall.
When you progress to laying down, you may progress through bed to soft carpet to hard floor– the differences in pressure will be noticeable.
We find that soft carpet is a good starting point. From there you can change surface to be easier or harder as you need.
What should you expect to feel?
This product is designed to target these areas and when you have finished using BakBalls you may feel relief of pain, more flexible and the ability to sit or stand with better posture.
Initially you will feel direct pressure on the painful points around your spine which may produce slight discomfort. You may also feel aching, a “good pain”, and occasionally a crack or pop.
You may feel slight muscle soreness similar to that felt after exercise or a massage, this is to be expected and should reduce after 1-2 days.
Don’t be alarmed by these sensations.
If this discomfort does not reduce or you experience a new symptom, please cease use and consult your physio immediately.
View our FREE How To Use Your BakBalls Handouts.
When you might use BakBalls:
- Early stages of treatment. Used between early treatments and correctly, BakBalls may help to accelerate your early symptom relief. Note, however, they wont always be appropriate in the acute phase so discuss with your physio.
- Throughout treatment. Again, using between sessions can help to accelerate your improvements. As you get less acute you will be able to use BakBalls more and with more pressure. Not only can this speed up your recovery, but also helps you self manage as your appointments are spaced further apart and/or your treatment plan moves on to focussing more on preventative exercises.
- After discharge. Take your physio home with you and self manage reduce the chances of recurrence. Those niggles that come from time to time are less likely to linger or turn into bigger problems if you can pull this out as they occur.
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