SPD Support Forum

I found an idea that could work for doing compressions on your shoulders without needing to find an object to squeeze against. It's been working for me.

Cross your arms over your chest, so your left arm reaches to your right shoulder, and vice versa. Squeeze down and push down with your hands, like you're giving yourself a bear hug. It pushes down on your shoulders and it also kinda gets the arms a bit too. Maybe that works?

Didn't think of that as joint compression, I do do that at times though.

I do that, too.

Before I have to sit in a classroom, I go into a bathroom stall and stretch, do that, and lift up one knee at a time and hold it with my arms. Just trying to get some proprioceptive work in before facing the sensory battlefield.

Carol Kranowitz has some good stretch and squeeze exercises in her lectures and books. One she calls "dots and squeezes": one hand is palm up and the other just holds that hand and thumbs down your plam (aka the "dots"). It helps to settle my nerves a bit.

interesting thread thankyou - I never thought of teaching my son to do his own joint compressions - he really loves me to do them for him and will suddenly lye on the floor and say "do my arms and legs" - school wont do them for him though - so i will try and get him to do some of them for himself