
Also see Managing Low Back Pain with Exercise if you have more than just tightness.
To address mobility limits in the upper spine, try this. Lie on the floor on top of the roller, starting at the mid-back. Please note that this requires good core strength to do safely. Keep the roller still as you raise one shoulder diagonally up and over toward the opposite hip, with a slight abdominal crunch, about 5 times. Bend toward the other side, then roll the ball an inch or two closer to your head and repeat. The point here is to get the spine moving, just a bit, where the tennis balls are pressing.
Worth mentioning is the more familiar "foam rolling" for self massage, using a long cylindrical piece of foam.
My opinion is that, yes, it can be helpful. It just isn't quite as essential as some folks say, and not always for the reasons assumed. There may be some benefit from the pressure, but I think the real benefit is from mobilization. You put your body in unusual positions and move around in a strange ways, and that means bending joints and using muscles in ways that they don't usually get. The pressure of the roller is just a plus. If you think it helps, go for it.
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