Looks like a tool of torture but feels good (Fitness Mad Spikey Massage Ball)

Member Name: Tracy_1127

Product:	Fitness Mad Spikey Massage Ball
Date:	09/12/08 (200 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

Any of you dooyooers who have read some of my previous reviews will know I have some hypermobile joints, this of course leads to the muscles becoming overworked and overworked muscles always have knots in them. Because of this I am always on the lookout for products to use to get some relief from these tight knots, a daily massage with a therapist isn't financially viable!

I came across these spikey massage balls after a friend recommended them, she'd had an imbalance around her hips and after strengthening the weak area she was advised to use a spikey massage ball to complete the process. She did and found them great so she suggested I might like to try them.

The balls themselves come in various sizes, 6cm to really get into the hips, 7 cm for slightly larger muscles, 8 cm and 9 cm for the thighs, back etc. The balls are rubber and inflated with air, they can be inflated more to make them harder or less to make them softer. A bicycle pump attachment (the spike one) is all that is needed to inflate them.

The knobbles look like they are going to be painful but on the balls intended for the body they are firm but not solid. I have a small one for the feet and that does have solid knobbles on it so you wouldn't want it on your body, just your feet is enough with that one!

The price of these balls varies but the one in the picture is 7cm and available from Amazon for £2.49, the larger ones are ususally 50p to a £1 more so they are not expensive. I would recommend buying a pair though, it's much easier to roll them up your back, down your legs etc if you have one for either side of the body.

How do they feel? No matter how light you are your weight will squash the ball under you and the knobbles will press into the muscle. They are a bit painful at first if you have alot of knots so you have to go easy and roll for short periods until you have less pain. It's not horrific pain though, just a bit sore.

They do have the appearance of tools of torture but the reality is the pain is just the sore muscle itself and not the balls fault! If you press a tight knot with anything it feels sore so any pain experienced with these balls is no worse than how that feels. Otherwise the knobbly bits just feel like they are pressing into the tissue and giving it a bit of a pull which is the traction producing a slight stretch.

What's the claim? The spikes massage the muscles and help release tight areas and remove toxins by encouraging fresh blood into the area.

Do they work? They really do get into the muscles and can remove quite alot of the tight knots. They can be used to work across a tight muscle (crossfibre massage) or in a circular motion over knots or along the length of it to add a stretch to it too and your body weight keeps the ball in place between you and the floor or a wall. They don't get out the really deep trigger points though, those will need a smaller, more precise tool.

What's the difference between a smooth massage ball and these spikey ones? Obviously the knobbles! Seriously though the knobbly bits provide a kind of traction both in the muscles and on the floor so the ball doesn't slip out or move in the wrong direction and the knobbly bits grip into the soft tissue to really work it.

Problems? If you overdo it you can end up bruised, this is true of any type of massage though so little and often is best. Any bruised areas should not be massaged again until they are back to normal. They also have a habit of gripping your clothing too so keep an eye on this or you end up unable to roll anymore because a bundle of your clothes is wrapped around the ball! The only other potential problem is those with no upper body strength, if that's a problem for you it might be better to use a wall rather than the floor as the whole balancing on these, controlling the rolling action etc does require some strength.

A safety tip is to avoid rolling on the floating ribs, coccyx and sternum, even on inflated balls these areas are prone to damage so just avoid them!

Do I recommend them? Indeed I do! I have a variety of massage tools, balls, foam rollers, heat gadgets, cold gadgets and more besides and these balls are one of my favourites. I bought mine from Amazon as the price is excellent, but if you wanted to buy elsewhere just type "spikey massage balls" into google and a whole host of stores will come up in the results.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: Recommended