If you have discomfort in your low back, buttocks, or hamstrings, try these.

1. Lie on your side on the floor with your knees bent. Reach your hand

as far up your spine as you can and stroke with your thumb along the

sides of the spine down to your tailbone.

2. Still lying on your side, press points on your buttocks from your low

back to thigh. Press with your fist, knuckles, or thumbs. Hold each

point for several seconds, then release.

3. Sit or lie on a tennis ball or a soft “practice” golf ball. If the tennis

ball feels too hard, put a towel over it or use it on a soft surface like a

bed. Roll your lower spine and buttocks over the ball, lingering on

areas that feel tight or painful. Use your body weight to press into

them as much as is comfortable. If you get a sharp, shooting pain in

your buttocks, you may have rolled over the sciatic nerve. Avoid that

hot spot, and see if you can coax those tight gluteus muscles to relax.