Lacrosse Ball: Essential Equipment for Every Player

Lacrosse balls are typically constructed of solid rubber or elastomeric materials such as polyurethane and silicone, making them easier to spot during gameplay.

Some manufacturers provide take-back programs for their products.

To massage the trapezius muscle (upper back) using a lacrosse ball, lie on the floor with it against your upper back.

Apply pressure while moving it around in various directions to target all parts of the muscle.

Myofascial Release

Fascia is a thin sheath of connective tissue that covers and connects muscles throughout your body, including those found on your legs and feet.

If it becomes tight and uncomfortable, myofascial release helps relieve symptoms by breaking up adhesions and improving circulation – as well as relieving any associated discomfort.

In addition to helping alleviate any discomfort felt from fascia tightness and tightening up on muscles in general.

Myofascial release also can assist with injuries such as iliotibial band syndrome on one leg and plantar fasciitis on another – with these self-massage techniques aiding many injuries such as iliotibial band syndrome on one leg and plantar fasciitis on another foot.

Lacrosse balls are firmer and therefore more effective at targeting myofascial trigger points than their tennis or golf counterparts and can be used both against walls and on floors, depending on your flexibility and severity of tension.

Lacrosse ball massage can help alleviate many of the aches and pains associated with desk jobs.

Office work has been shown to correlate strongly with musculoskeletal discomfort in shoulders, upper/lower backs, hips, elbows, and wrists/hands.

To ease shoulder soreness, lay on the ground with a lacrosse ball between your neck and shoulders and gently roll up and down to loosen up your trapezius muscle.

Perform this exercise for 60-90 seconds on both sides to reduce soreness.

Similarly, glute muscles can be massaged by placing a lacrosse ball under each knee; moving it around until finding sore spots in the quadriceps then holding for 30-60 seconds while sitting.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a condition in which there is pain on the bottom of your foot, particularly on its heel.

It tends to be worse first thing in the morning and after long periods of rest or sitting; walking or exercising tends to aggravate it further, while flip flops often exasperate it further.

If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, try using a lacrosse ball to break up adhesions. Sit comfortably with your feet bare while placing the lacrosse ball under your foot’s arch.

Slowly roll around tender spots until they find relief – then massage for 30 seconds every 30 days until plantar fasciitis subsides. Do this several times each day until symptoms have subsided!

Use ice to relieve pain regularly to bring relief. A commercial product or a frozen water bottle before placing on your foot and heel may provide some temporary relief.

Airrosti offers treatment for an array of sports injuries and conditions.

Make an in-office or virtual appointment now to find out how we can help you overcome your injury faster and recover quicker. Our team of expert providers will assess and treat your injury before providing recovery tools as well as at-home active rehab exercises to accelerate healing.

Glute Muscles

Glutes are large muscles located posterior to your bony pelvis that serve many functional purposes, including hip stability and efficiently rotating upper body and legs.

Weak glute muscles increase your risk for injury in other areas such as hips, knees, and lower back.

Researchers examined how shoot kinetics and arm dominance influence muscle activity of the lead leg during lacrosse shots using electromyography to measure rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), and medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles of the lead leg during warm-up shots, slow shots, and game speed shots.

Researchers discovered during the Crank Back Minor phase, when fast shot speeds were employed during Crank Back Minor sessions, both the RF and BF muscles became more active compared to slow speeds, while MG was unaffected.

This suggests that the preparatory activity of these muscles plays a part in experienced players’ high shot velocities.

Tight chest muscles can contribute to poor posture and cause shoulder and neck pain, but you can relax them by lying on a solid surface and positioning a lacrosse ball against the shoulder muscle closest to your chest.

Once the desired pressure has been attained, keep this position or roll the ball in a circular motion for around 30 seconds.

Shoulder Muscles

Lacrosse is an athletic pursuit that demands strong shoulder strength to shoot effectively, and any lack of scapular control could compromise performance and increase the risk of injury.

When performing movements such as overhead shots, slams, and crossovers; stimulating these muscles through activities like pull-ups, reverse flies, and bent rows will strengthen them further for improved scapular control while performing overhead motions of shooting.

A review of the lacrosse shot’s kinematics has revealed that its execution involves shoulder-to-pelvis crossover rotation in preparation for acceleration, then transition from the torso to the dominant arm for shot execution.

This sequence may contribute to higher peak angular velocities and separation of segmental angular velocities seen among professional players compared with less experienced ones.

These differences in kinematics can be attributed to differing muscle activation patterns and coordination among thoracic spine, core, and upper extremity muscles.

Less experienced players tended to display greater anterior lean during the crank-back phase of an overhead shot, which may increase proximal shoulder forces and risk of injury similar to other throwing sports.

An SMR session before playing can help decrease these forces by placing a lacrosse ball between the shoulders and wall and using pressure from it for massage on the pectoral and deltoid muscles as well as massage of the upper shoulder region including pectoral and deltoid muscles.