The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] [Paperback]

Elaine Petrone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2003

Take two-they're small. And they perform miracles. Suffering a career-ending, potentially crippling injury to her back and right leg, a young dancer named Elaine Petrone tried everyone from orthopedists to yogis to turn her pain and prognosis around. Nothing worked-until she healed herself through a unique program of therapy and exercise based around the use of two small, squishy balls. From there she turned her passion into a mission that is helping the thousands of people who visit her classes conquer pain, stress, and injury.

Now, for relief for sufferers everywhere, comes The Miracle Ball Method, a healing kit containing two miracle balls and a fully illustrated book, all packaged together in an attention-getting clear plastic cylinder. The work itself is simple. Take a sore back: By resting your aching back on the grapefruit-sized balls and letting your body sink into them, you're unworking the muscles that hurt. Pain and tension drain out of the body. Petrone shows how proper breathing (which she demonstrates) works in conjunction with a range of unexercises that call for placing the balls under the back, head, knees, hip, elbow-wherever there's pain-and then resting, rolling, or rotating on them. She points out that relief can come in surprising ways: Lower back pain may be helped by placing the ball under your neck, or a bad knee might be helped by hip work. It's a revolutionary program of relief, from head to toe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elaine Petrone is the creator of the Miracle Ball Method. She works at the Stamford (Connecticut) Hospital Rehabilitation Center and with private patients.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; Book and Access edition (December 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761128689
• ISBN-13: 978-0761128687
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5 x 4.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Back Pain
  • #6 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Chronic Pain
  • #8 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Injuries & Rehabilitation

More About the Author

Elaine Petrone is the creator of the Miracle Ball Method. She works at the Stamford (Connecticut) Hospital Rehabilitation Center and with private patients.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

282 of 293 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Having Pain? Get On the Ball!, April 17, 2008

By 

tina - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] (Paperback)

The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] is a method of pain relief developed by Elaine Petrone after struggling with her own terrible back pain. The key for her, and no doubt many, proved to be proper breathing and decreased muscle tension. Soooo...

The Goal: reduce muscle tension that's causing the pain
The Formula: Weight + Breathing = Release of Tension
How Accomplished: Lay on one or more of the balls in a specified spot
(although the book encourages you to experiment),
breathe properly, and relax. The ball is just a tool to
help you feel the weight of your body.

Don't be turned off by the fact that the book is over 200 pages long- after a brief introduction and a short section on breathing, the vast majority of the book is made up of pictures showing you exactly how to do the exercises. Additionally, its a tiny book and therefore has short paragraphs on each page.

I would have to say that this book will likely benefit many people with chronic pain. Muscle tension is either the major cause of a lot of pain, or at least present due to another cause. Either way, treating muscle tension and learning how to relax will take a big bite out of your pain. Readers with arthritis in their back might also be interested in Treat Your Own Spinal Stenosis. Good luck!

111 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple healing and stress relief, December 1, 2005

By 

Theresa Reed "The Tarot Lady" (MILWAUKEE, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] (Paperback)

I was very curious about these balls - especially after reading the reviews here. I have had achy hips and knees for a long time now. Yoga helps me tremendously, but occasionally, even that is not the cure all. After reading through the little booklet, I put these things to work: following the instructions for hips, I placed the balls under my hip area and simply laid on them and breathed. That is all I needed to do. As soon as I started relaxing, I noticed something - on my left side, which is where I have the knee problem, I realized that I had more tension on that side of my body than on my right. It was obvious to me that my knee was overcompensating for the tightness on my left hip - and this was contributing to my issue. So, I continued with the balls and after a few days - presto - looser hips, knee pain GONE!

These balls help to realign the body and dissolve muscular tension. It doesn't take much time out of your day (perhaps about 15 minutes) but it can make a big difference in how you feel.

If you are having serious physical issues, make sure you consult a physician.

You may also want to consider purchasing the book "Get Fit in Bed" by Dr. Genie Tartell and Ted Kavanau Get Fit in Bed: Tone Your Body & Calm Your Mind from the Comfort of Your Bed as an easy to use routine to strengthen your body in addition to the Miracle Balls. Both of these approaches are therapeutic and gentle ways to deal with achy bodies.

77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Balls- You Will Be Convinced Once You've Tried!, May 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included] (Paperback)

When I first saw this set of 2 small, blue-green balls, I really wondered whether they were any good. Decided to take a chance, and I am sure glad I did. Propped myself over these 2 semi-inflated balls on the floor and it was sheer bliss as my own body weight sank upon them.

The set consist of 2 approximately 4 inch (11 cm) diameter therapy balls (re-inflatable) and a pocket-sized 296 page insruction book packed in a transparent casing. The balls are approx. a half-inch (1 cm) thick each, and are not as thin-skinned as might be imagined. The book says that the balls are built tough, and are good for up to 300 pounds, and I believe the claim is sustainable.

In my opinion, these 2 little balls are fantastic value for money for what they are capable of, and you would be surprised how nice it feels once you prop your tired body over them at the end of a long day. Although these are therapy balls, you may also want to use them as I frequently do - a simple and 'fun' way of giving your body a much needed self-massage, merely by placing them at strategic locations beneath your body and resting over them.

By the way, I am not one of Ms. Elaine Petrone's student, since I am writing from half a world away. But, I am definitely her fan now after being convinced by these 2 little 'Miracle' balls! Go www.elainepetrone.com for more info.

My advice: considering their low price, get them while they are available, as these little balls are 'hot' - they were all sold out on Amazon.com until recently.