The cheapest massage in the world can be found at the sporting goods store, at Target, and on the street. No, it's not as sketchy as it sounds. It's a tennis ball. If you've ever moved, encountered a weight before, or are involved in the inevitable soreness from life, the tennis ball is a godsend.
Firstly, why do we have knots and soreness in the first place? There are many different reasons for soreness but generally all soreness is caused by stress of some kind on the body. This can be from sitting at a desk all day to running a triathlon. The kind of soreness that occurs 24-48 hours after a tough workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness(http://blog.nasm.org/training-benefits/foam-rolling-applying-the-technique-of-self-myofascial-release/). When muscles are strained, muscle fibers undergo microscopic tears. Pair those tears with inflammation, and you have the classic post-squat booty burn.
Self-myofascial release is a fancy word for relieving muscle knots and tension yourself (http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/nat...). When muscles are stressed repeatedly, it's difficult for the muscle fibers to "turn off" and loosen up. Rolling on a trigger point tells your knotted booty to chill out, straighten up, and realign. Similar to the foam roller, a tennis ball is a cheap and effective way to relieve pain and improve performance in the long term.
Start with rolling the sole of your foot on a tennis ball. Rolling your feet loosens a network of connective tissue that runs all the way up your back to the crown of your head. Try rolling your feet for a week and see if you can touch your toes by the end! Place the ball on your IT band for that tough love kind of pain, or roll over your traps for immediate relief.
It's summer and you want to be free to walk up those stairs without holding your butt. Buy a tennis ball and invest in your future.
