This Five-Minute Tennis Ball Trick Cuts Lower Back Pain by 55 Percent

0FotoDuets/GettyWhether it strikes when you reach over to your nightstand to grab your favorite book or when you bend down to pick up your granddaughter, you likely recognize that same nagging pain in your lower back. If you’ve tried the usual remedies like ice, heat or stretching and they’re not quite cutting it, this simple trick is worth a try—all you need is a tennis ball. Here, experts reveal three ways to ease lower back pain in just five minutes, including a tennis ball trick study-proven to reduce discomfort by 55 percent.

“It's years of small stuff adding up, like sitting too much, weak core and hip muscles, tight hips and lifting the wrong way,” says Sean T. Lordan, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CEO at Concierge Physical Therapy Inc. Lordan adds that, less commonly, something structural could be going on, such as arthritis in the small joints of the spine or spinal stenosis, meaning the space around the spinal nerves has narrowed. Other factors that can contribute to lower back pain:

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Lordan says during pregnancy, stomach muscles stretch and can even separate down the middle, called diastasis recti, and the pelvic floor muscles, which are also a part of the core, stretch and weaken. “Changes in abdominal and pelvic floor function after pregnancy can contribute to back discomfort in some women, though back pain typically has multiple contributing factors,” adds Lordan. “I see women in their 50s and 60s whose back pain traces right back to that.”

Our pelvises are built wider than men’s and the ligaments surrounding the pelvis are a bit looser. “That can put extra stress on the sacroiliac joints, or SI joints, which are where your pelvis connects to the base of your spine,” Lordan explains. “SI joint pain is much more common in women.”

“Menopause plays a part in low back pain due to the normal drop in estrogen,” says Milica McDowell, DPT, a musculoskeletal physical therapist focused on active women. “When estrogen drops, our bone density decreases, we can start to lose muscle faster and weight gain shifts toward our abdomen. The combination of these three factors can increase our risk of developing low back pain.”

Okay, now that we know what causes low back pain, and why it can particularly be a problem for women, what can we do about it? Our experts share three tricks that work in five minutes or less.

In a small study published in Cureus, researchers divided 100 adults ages 60 and older who had lower back pain into two groups. Fifty people in one group self-massaged their lower backs with a tennis ball for five minutes a day, while the other 50 continued their usual treatment without massage. After six days, those who massage their lower back with a tennis ball saw their pain scores drop 55 percent. Those who didn’t try the tennis ball trick saw no reduction in lower back pain.

Here’s how to do it: Researchers instructed participants to position the tennis ball beneath their lower backs, against the muscles alongside the spine, while lying on the floor with their knees bent. They then raised both arms toward the ceiling before slowly lowering either their right or left arm toward their head, holding the position for a few seconds and returning to the starting position.

“The ball puts steady pressure on the long muscles that run along either side of your spine,” explains Lordan. “When your back hurts, those muscles tend to clench up to protect the area, and they can stay that way for weeks. Pressure helps them let go and gets more blood flowing to the area.”

“Reaching one arm back overhead gently stretches the muscles along the side and back of your trunk while the ball is holding pressure,” he adds. “So you're getting a release and a stretch at the same time.”

Lordan calls the results encouraging, but notes that more research is needed on long-term benefits. If you want to give it a try, he suggests doing it for five minutes once or twice a day.

This five-minute tennis ball hack for lower back pain targets the sides of your trunk.“Stand sideways to a wall and put the ball between the wall and the soft spot just above your hip bone, below your bottom rib,” explains Lordan. “Lean in gently and make slow little circles. Hold any sore spots for 20 to 30 seconds and switch sides.” He recommends doing it once a day.

“This hits the quadratus lumborum, a deep muscle that connects your pelvis to your lower spine,” adds Lordan. “The quadratus lumborum (QL) is one of several muscles that may contribute to one-sided low back discomfort.”

This easy tennis ball hack that helps ease lower back pain by targeting your glutes. “Sit on the floor with your knees bent, or stand with your back against a wall,” explains Lordan. “Put the ball under one side of your buttock, right in the meaty part. Lean into it and roll in small circles until you find a sore spot, then hold there for 30 to 60 seconds and breathe. Do both sides.” He recommends giving it a try once a day, especially after a long period of sitting.

“Muscle tension or sensitivity in the glutes and surrounding hip muscles can sometimes contribute to discomfort in the low back and buttock,” explains Lordan. “A lot of times when we loosen those up, the back pain eases.”

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Lower back pain accompanied with severe pain (such as feeling like your back is broken), fever, nerve pain running down your leg, incontinence or unexplained weight loss require immediate medical evaluation, says Myrdalis Díaz-Ramírez, MD, a double board-certified physician in anesthesiology and pain medicine and an expert in chronic pain, nonsurgical spine care and regenerative medicine.

If you’re finding that lower back pain is starting to turn some of your best memories into painful ones, know that you don’t have to just accept the discomfort. Consider giving one of these simple tennis-ball hacks above a try and talking to your doctor about long-term treatment options if you need more relief.

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.