Some people like to take their therapy with them. I’ve been asked frequently where to get the best cold or hot packs, pillows, and massage tools. There are oodles of great products out there, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to get the equipment you need to get through therapy. Maybe you’ve already discussed some of these ideas over coffee talk with friends, but anyways here are some do-it-yourself ideas for home equipment that won’t break the bank.
Packs for Pain Relief
- Ice Pack Recipe
- This rubbing alcohol doesn’t burn, it deflames. Put 1 part rubbing alcohol to 3 parts water in a gallon ziploc bag, making sure not to fill it all the way up. Then, double bag it and place in the freezer. It won’t harden all the way, so you have a pliable ice pack to mold around the joints. When using, place a damp cloth around the pack and then apply to the affected area for 15 minutes. Always keep one in the freezer, just in case.
- Microwavable Heat Pack
- You can make a small pack by putting long grain rice in a sock and either sewing up or tying off the end. Microwave for a minute at a time until warm. Place it on a stiff joint or tense muscles and it’s no longer just the San Francisco treat. To make larger packs you can sew material together in the shape that you wish. Fill with long grain rice, making sure not to fill it up all the way so you can mold it around the area needing the hot pack, and sew it shut. You can try adding a few drops of essential oils such as lavender or some aromatic herbs such as rosemary or lemon thyme. Make sure to mix well and add small amounts until the desired aromatic intensity is achieved. Don’t use quick or minute rice as it will burn. Also make sure the fabric you are using is not flammable. Minute Rice… it doesn’t take a minute to make. Discuss.
Self Massage Tools
- Tennis Balls
- Serve up some love on those tight muscles in the buttocks by placing one under your cheek and apply some pressure by rolling around on it. You can also play doubles by placing two of them in a sock, tying off the end, and placing them under the neck while you lie down. You can sustain the pressure or roll over the top of them a little, focusing on tender and tight areas.
- The Rolling Pin
- Move over Betty Crocker because we’ve got a new use for that old rolling pin! Bust it out to roll out the kinks. I like to use it on the IT Band (the tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh), quads, and calves. It’ll hurt so good and make your muscles feel like “buttah” afterward.
- Golf Balls
- After you drive it into the fairway, drive it deep into the bottom of your foot to release a tight plantar fascia with sustained pressure or rolling up and down the arch.
- The Plunger
- Whether it’s something stuck in the toilet or something stuck to your fascia, a plunger gets the job done. For home myofascial release of the IT Band, put some massage cream on the plunger’s bottom, apply to the skin firmly to get a good suction, and unstick the fascia by pulling up and shaking. I recommend that you keep one separate from the one you use on the toilet, so you don’t smell like a latrine and you don’t get shpilkes in your genecktecessoink. You can get smaller plungers at the hardware store that work well for self-myofascial release.
Supportive Solutions
- Lumbar Support
- Don’t sit like a schlub! When your back is in good alignment, the heavens part, doves cry, and the nerves in the back sing “alleluia!” To keep the curve in the right place, it’s good to have a small support in the lower back, such as a lumbar roll. To replicate this at home, bundle a towel into a tight cylinder and then place in the curve in your low back. You can also take an old, flat pillow and roll it into a tight cylinder and then duck tape it around. When you sit with good posture it makes your therapist a little verklempt.
- Cervical Support
- Those cervical pillows sure can be expensive. To get the same effect and support the neck while sleeping, try rolling a towel into a tight cylinder. Shove the towel between the pillow and pillow case and position long ways towards the bottom of the pillow. Lay on the pillow so that the curve of your neck is supported by the towel. Have someone look at you laying on the pillow to make sure your neck is in a neutral alignment (your PT can help you with this). Relax with your neck in good alignment, perhaps while listening to Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”
It’s important to do whatever you can to decrease your pain and keep up with your therapy regimen at home. Hopefully these DIY items will enhance your home therapy. Good therapy: Can you get it to go? Yes, and it’s affordable. If any of you have any other ideas, please talk amongst yourselves in the comments section.
DIY Therapy Websites:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Homemade-Heat-Pack
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf126288.tip.html
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/sewing/ricehotpack.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/how_5567114_make-homemade-heat-packs.html
MoniqueSerpasPT
Physical Therapy Orthopaedic Specialist at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System
Follow @MoniqueSerpasPT
My name is Monique Serpas, PT, DPT, OCS. I am a physical therapist and board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist practicing at the Southeast Louisiana Healthcare System in New Orleans, LA. I realize how difficult it can be to overcome an injury or manage a chronic condition and am focused on helping my clients achieve wellness through a physically active lifestyle. I treat orthopaedic, balance, and vestibular disorders and practice using a combination of hands-on manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and education. This enables my patients to assist in their own recovery and injury prevention. I also have developed fall prevention and golf-related rehab programs in the past. I hold a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Concordia University Wisconsin (2008) and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University (2004). I am a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Louisiana Physical Therapy Association (LPTA), and the Orthopaedic and Neurology sections of the APTA.
My name is Monique Serpas, PT, DPT, OCS. I am a physical therapist and board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist practicing at the Southeast Louisiana Healthcare System in New Orleans, LA. I realize how difficult it can be to overcome an injury or manage a chronic condition and am focused on helping my clients achieve wellness through a physically active lifestyle. I treat orthopaedic, balance, and vestibular disorders and practice using a combination of hands-on manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and education. This enables my patients to assist in their own recovery and injury prevention. I also have developed fall prevention and golf-related rehab programs in the past. I hold a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Concordia University Wisconsin (2008) and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University (2004). I am a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Louisiana Physical Therapy Association (LPTA), and the Orthopaedic and Neurology sections of the APTA.
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November 13, 2009
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