Have you ever wondered why some people carry a tennis ball with them when they fly?
If you already know the answer then you're probably one of the few who include a tennis ball in their carry-on luggage, but for those of you who were like me and had no clue here's why:
Ali Gjoz, a surgeon from the London Orthopaedic Clinic shared a few tips with the Daily Star. "Taking a tennis ball or a massager on the plane will help increase circulation," he says. Roll it over your shoulders, lower back, legs, and the bottoms of your feet to help get your blood flowing again.
...Gjoz suggest massaging your legs, starting with the ankles and moving up, to help get the blood moving back toward your heart.
Christine from Goodfullness elaborated on Dr. Gjoz's advice with these tips:
Your ankles can benefit greatly from a few simple tennis ball based exercises. Place the tennis ball beneath your foot and flex the ankle while the ball is rolled back and forth. Once you held each position for a few moments, it is time to switch to the other foot. While you can perform this exercise with your shoes on, you can also ask your flight neighbors if it is all right for you to remove them to get the full effect.
Struggling with poor circulation in your wrists? To get the blood flowing through your fingers and hands, you can grip a tennis ball and apply light pressure. By bending the wrist outwards and inwards, you can ensure a greater level of comfort. While you are seated on the plane, using a tennis ball to increase the circulation in your thighs is also important.
All it takes are a few rolls of the ball in a vertical motion, from the knee and upwards to the thigh. For added relief, repeat the motion on the entirety of the thigh as you continue to apply added pressure. For your legs and calves? Use the same technique as you would for the thigh rolls and apply a gentle amount of pressure to any areas that are in need of some extra attention.
If you would like to remedy any aches and pains in your back and shoulders, find the pain points and knots and roll the tennis ball over them. For a more advanced level of assistance, the ball can be placed between the seat and your back. Just be careful not to hunch over during the process or you will end up exacerbating the problem even further.
-Via Travel + Leisure and Goodfullness