Rolling Pin Massage: DIY Ecstasy

If you go for a massage and see the masseuse heading towards you carrying a rolling pin, there is no need to panic. Today, many people have come to realize that this simple tool can be very effective for massages. For example, they can easily be used to relieve back pain. By simply rolling the tool up and down the pack, various pressure points are stimulated and the muscles along the spine can begin to relax.  Best yet, you can do it yourself (with a partner) for a FANTASTIC massage.

Flexibility as Well as Pain Relief
The motion from the rolling pin not only warms muscles, but it can help improve flexibility according to some therapists. One beneficial way to make use of a rolling pin is by placing one of the rolling pin’s ends against the lower part of your back or upper buttocks area, then place the other end against a wall; push gently. Another effective technique is to use the rolling pin roll from the lower back, down over the thighs. This can be an excellent way to relieve both leg and back pain. Additionally, you can use the same technique by running the rolling pin over the front of each thigh.

Another Approach
A massage therapist can hold a rolling pin in the horizontal position and roll it all the way from your upper back down to your lower back or buttocks, then back up again. This process can be repeated on each side of your spine for best results.

Another Method that is similar to a Massage with a Rolling Pin
There are other massage techniques that feel just like you are being massaged with a rolling pin, but no pin is needed. Gun fa is a method that uses only the back side of the masseuse’s hand, it is rotated in a back and forth motion in a rapid succession over the skin. This technique feels like there is a weighted rolling pin being rolled up and down over your skin.

What It Does
Using a rolling pin technique reduced the pressure that is placed on the back as well as on the nerves in the spine. This lessens the chance of spinal osteoarthritis or a bulging or herniated disc. Additionally, the technique allows the spine to be able to realign itself into a pattern that is most natural. This can help overcome compression and misalignment according to the experience of The Back Doctor. Over time, joints and muscles can become compressed which can result in stiffness. Using a rolling pin to massage the back can help decompress and open joints and muscles which can bring about pain relief. In addition to these benefits, rolling pins can also help improve your body’s circulation which can relieve tightness and muscle cramps. When flood is allowed to flow freely in and out from the tissues, back pain and fatigue can be greatly reduced. By rolling a rolling pin up and down a person’s back, even for only a few minutes, tension is released and the muscles of the back begin to relax.

Hollow Rolling Pin
If a hollow pin is used, it can be filled with ice which can provide even more pain relief for the back muscles. Ice is an effective way to reduce swelling and inflammation.

Labor
During labor, some women find comfort in having a rolling pin rolled up and down their back; especially if they have back labor. The rolling pin allows one to use just the right amount of pressure to relieve a bit of the pain.

Everyone likes a good massage.  But few people know how to give one.  With the use of a rolling pin, even the poorest of masseuses can give a relaxing and muscle-friendly massage to their friend of loved one.

Patrick Lindle is a certified OSHA Health and Safety specialist working at a metal deck / steel decking company in Atlanta.  In his spare time, Pat studies and practices deep tissue massage and Reiki with his wife Judy.