If you don't have a foam roller try the Foam Roller Fun scoliosis exercise, then an inexpensive alternative for TMJ and scoliosis therapy is to use a pool noodle.
I picked up my pool noodle from WalMart for under $2. These things can be difficult to easily get a hold of outside of pool season (e.g. summer), so be sure to get one while they are still stocked for the summer months.
Hopefully by now you've been able to check out my post on using a foam roller for TMJ and scoliosis pain. I use the pool noodle the same way.
My favorite way to use the pool noodle in on my commute to and from work. All of those endless hous in traffic has led me have an even worse posture that I started with (which wasn't that great to begin with). I'm determined to combat my terrible car posture.
I modified my pool noodle by simply cutting it half. The things are quite long and can be annoying if not compact enough. Additionally, having 2 pool noodles allows me to always have 1 in the car and 1 in the house for use wherever I am when I need the pool noodle.
Take the pool noodle and place it perpendicular to your car seat. It should like at just about the level of your shoulder blades (scapula). I use the pool noodle to stabilize my shoulder blades and back. Lean back onto the pool noodle. This should not be painful at all. I feel a nice lifting and stretching through my right torso and a release of tension in my lower back.
Try to use only your shoulder blades to keep your back stable against the pool noodle. This isn't a difficult action; it's just one that takes a little bit of practice to really feel as though you are engaging the shoulder blade (scapular) muscles
Remember that this action can be done on any stabilizing surface. I choose my car as my go-to method because I spend way too much time in there. Additionally, although I think car seats are generally poorly designed, headrests provide a great actual goal to reach: try and pull the base of your neck up and back so that your head rests as comfortably as possible in the headrest. Tougher than it seems but worth the effort, especially if you have neck problems. Don't strain to reach the headrest with your head; just try your best. Remember to use the base of your neck where your hair begins as a guide when pulling in the chin to reach the headrest.
Experiment with your body positioning with the pool noodle behind your shoulder blades. A personal favorite of mine is to take a deep breath IN and on the long OUT breath quickly raise my hips by doing a tiny lower ab crunch. I always get a nice release on the right side of the body when I do this. So easy and so gratifying. Not to mention the pain relief.
Safe driving!
I picked up my pool noodle from WalMart for under $2. These things can be difficult to easily get a hold of outside of pool season (e.g. summer), so be sure to get one while they are still stocked for the summer months.
Hopefully by now you've been able to check out my post on using a foam roller for TMJ and scoliosis pain. I use the pool noodle the same way.
Pool Noodle vs. Foam Roller
The main difference between using the larger, more rigid foam roller is that the foam roller is much more rigid and therefore does a better job when the job is TOUGH (read, acute pain, TMJ spasm, etc.). I use my pool noodle more regularly to maintain the balance of my body so that it does not progress to needing the foam roller.My favorite way to use the pool noodle in on my commute to and from work. All of those endless hous in traffic has led me have an even worse posture that I started with (which wasn't that great to begin with). I'm determined to combat my terrible car posture.
I modified my pool noodle by simply cutting it half. The things are quite long and can be annoying if not compact enough. Additionally, having 2 pool noodles allows me to always have 1 in the car and 1 in the house for use wherever I am when I need the pool noodle.
Take the pool noodle and place it perpendicular to your car seat. It should like at just about the level of your shoulder blades (scapula). I use the pool noodle to stabilize my shoulder blades and back. Lean back onto the pool noodle. This should not be painful at all. I feel a nice lifting and stretching through my right torso and a release of tension in my lower back.
Try to use only your shoulder blades to keep your back stable against the pool noodle. This isn't a difficult action; it's just one that takes a little bit of practice to really feel as though you are engaging the shoulder blade (scapular) muscles
Remember that this action can be done on any stabilizing surface. I choose my car as my go-to method because I spend way too much time in there. Additionally, although I think car seats are generally poorly designed, headrests provide a great actual goal to reach: try and pull the base of your neck up and back so that your head rests as comfortably as possible in the headrest. Tougher than it seems but worth the effort, especially if you have neck problems. Don't strain to reach the headrest with your head; just try your best. Remember to use the base of your neck where your hair begins as a guide when pulling in the chin to reach the headrest.
Experiment with your body positioning with the pool noodle behind your shoulder blades. A personal favorite of mine is to take a deep breath IN and on the long OUT breath quickly raise my hips by doing a tiny lower ab crunch. I always get a nice release on the right side of the body when I do this. So easy and so gratifying. Not to mention the pain relief.
Safe driving!
Pool noodles are such a great addition to exercise and unwinding stretches because they're durable and maybe more importantly, water resistant. This means you can disinfect and clean the polyethylene foam tubes as need be, keeping them in great shape.
ReplyDeleteGreat point! Always a good idea to keep your exercise gear clean and disinfected.
Delete