Now into my second trimester (woo-hoo!), I am trying to sleep on my side, rather than in my preferred on-my-back-with-one-leg-froggy-style-and-the-other-leg-stuck-straight-out position, since side-sleeping promotes better blood flow to the Avacado. Unfortunately, this position has also resulted in a giant knot in my rhomboid (that muscle that runs from the edge of your shoulder blade up to the spine at the base of the neck) along with a bunch of headaches.
My husband has been great about giving me massages, but the other day he was at work (I was working from home), and I felt another headache coming on. Then I remembered a trick that I learned from a co-worker, who also happens to be a yoga instructor. You take a tennis ball, stick it in a sock (the longer the better), and VOILA! Instant back massager.
This picture does not do justice to the brilliance of this puppy! I know it just looks like a sock, but notice the rounded part at the toe (that’s the tennis ball).
Once you’ve created this masterpiece, take the sock, sling it over your shoulder (hold on to the end of the sock), and lean against a wall, working the ball up and down and around in circles wherever you feel tense. I cannot describe how much better I felt afterward. I’ve been using it for a few days, and I think this stubborn knot is almost gone. Good riddance!