What Are The Best Myofascial Release Tools?

Pretty much everyone who exercises has experienced soreness, knots, and/or stiffness in their muscles from an intense workout. But it’s not just athletes who can encounter this discomfort. Sitting at a desk all day can cause neck and back pain, tightness in your shoulders, and muscle imbalances throughout your body. No matter where your aching muscles come from, the best ways to practice self-care and recovery is through myofascial release, a form of deep-tissue massage that you can easily perform on yourself.

Myofascial release is a type of soft tissue therapy that works on the connective tissues that can be found throughout your body. These tissues are called “fascia,” a web-like structure that covers your muscles, bones, and organs. Repetitive movements, injury, or stress can all cause the fascia to tighten, resulting in pain, reduced mobility, and muscle tension. Myofascial release works by applying pressure to the affected areas of your fascia, resulting in pain relief, better circulation, improved mobility, and injury prevention.

No matter your pain tolerance or budget restrictions, there is a device out there that can help you take control of your muscle recovery. I’ve personally experienced great results from using a number of different myofascial release tools myself, and have put together a list of the ones I found most effective. So, without further ado, here is my guide to the best self-massage therapy tools:

THE BEST TOOLS FOR MYOFASCIAL RELEASE

Golf Balls

Golf balls are an excellent tool for applying trigger point therapy to your body. The firmness of a golf ball makes it one of the more effective tools when it comes to breaking up tight spots, and its small size allows you to get into spots that larger tools usually miss. A golf ball is also incredibly portable, making it easy to carry around and travel with, and is one of the more affordable options for myofascial release – in fact, I’m certain you can find one for free, especially if you know any golfers. One of the downsides of a golf ball is that it can cause more pain and bruising than some of the softer tools, so proceed with caution when using one.

Price: $
Pain Scale: 7/10
Best For: bottoms of feet, palms, forearms, calves, glutes

Lacrosse or Tennis Balls

Lacrosse balls are similar to golf balls, but are less intense, more comfortable to use, and cover larger areas of your muscles. Their outer shell is made of rubber, which is more grippy than the shiny material of golf balls, so it’s easier to control and less likely to roll away. While they are softer than golf balls, they’re still firm enough to provide the deep pressure needed for fascia stimulation and mobility. If you’re unable to acquire lacrosse balls, or find them too hard or painful, tennis balls are a similar alternative.

Price: $
Pain Scale: 5/10
Best For: bottoms of feet, shoulder blades, back, traps, calves, knees

Spiked Balls

The textured, pointy surface of spiked balls makes them incredibly effective at targeting areas of tension in your muscles compared to smoother tools. Although the spikes make these balls one of the more painful tools, they actually help reduce pain in the long run by stimulating the nerve endings deep within your skin, temporarily shutting off pain signals from your brain. The pressure from the spikes also stimulates the small blood vessels in your skin, which increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and flushes out lactic acid. Other benefits of using spiked balls include increased circulation, lymphatic drainage, and improved immune function.

Price: $
Pain Scale: 8/10
Best For: bottoms of feet, neck, back

Large Massage Ball

A large massage ball is excellent for targeting larger muscle groups, such as your hamstrings, quads, and glutes, and is generally a gentler tool to work with, making it great for beginners who are new to fascial manipulation. Its broad surface area distributes pressure more evenly, making it less intense than a lacrosse ball or golf ball. It’s more comfortable to use in tender spots as well, especially around your joints and areas where your bones are more prominent. Large massage balls are also easier to control than their smaller counterparts, and can be used to stretch your lower back in combination with myofascial release.

Price: $$
Pain Scale: 4/10
Best For: lower back, hamstrings, quads, glutes, hips

Roller Stick With Handles

A hand-held roller stick is the perfect tool for controlling the amount of pressure you place on the areas you’re massaging. The ergonomic handles allow you to perform myofascial release for an extended amount of time without experiencing discomfort or fatigue in your hands. Also, while most of the other tools require you to lay on the ground or against a wall, you can use a roller stick in a comfortable seated or standing position. Roller sticks are usually covered in hard beads, but I find the version covered in soft foam a lot more comfortable, especially on my shins. This tool is particularly good for the muscles that run down the inside and the outside of your thighs and lower legs, as well as your forearms if you have an extra set of hands nearby.

Price: $$
Pain Scale: 5/10
Best For: inner thighs, outer thighs (IT band), calves, shins, inside and outside of lower legs, forearms

Trigger Point Cane

A trigger point cane comes in handy for those hard-to-reach spots on your body without needing the assistance of another person. There are various nodes of different shapes and sizes positioned throughout the cane, making it a versatile tool that gives you a variety of tension options. These nodes also allow you to administer focused pressure to specific trigger points and knots in your muscles. In addition, you can slide a node up or down on a muscle knot, simulating a massage therapist’s thumb. The trigger point cane is especially helpful for alleviating the stress that you may carry in your neck, shoulders, and upper back, as well as improving circulation and helping with lymphatic drainage.

Price: $$
Pain Scale: 6/10
Best For: upper back, shoulders, neck, forearms

Foam Roller

A foam roller is one of the OGs of sports recovery tools, and is great for massaging the larger areas of your body. You can use a foam roller by laying on it in various positions and applying even pressure with your body weight as you roll back and forth. A foam roller is a great tool for beginners since it’s easy to use and relatively less painful than other tools. Foam rolling helps with blood flow, circulation, and lymphatic drainage, as well as improving your mobility and range of motion, and is particularly good for your back, sides, quads, and hamstrings. A foam roller can also be used as a stretching aide. You can stretch your spine, chest, and shoulders by laying down on it lengthwise with your arms open, or do an elevated child’s pose on it.

Price: $
Pain Scale: 5/10
Best For: upper back, lower back, sides (obliques), quads, hamstrings, glutes

Massage Gun

A massage gun is a bit different than most of the tools we’ve covered so far. It relies on vibrations to help penetrate deeper into your muscle tissue, making it incredibly effective at breaking up tight spots compared to other tools. Massage guns are probably the most versatile of the myofascial release tools, due to the interchangeable heads that target different areas of your body, as well as their various levels of vibration intensity. They share all of the benefits of the other massage tools, including nervous system stimulation, increased circulation, and lymphatic drainage, but take less time and physical effort to use. One of the downsides of a massage gun is the price, which can range from $150-$600 for a brand name device, such as the TheraGun Prime. You can, however, achieve pretty much the same results by using a cheaper option, like the RENPHO Massage Gun.

Price: $$-$$$
Pain Scale: ranges from 4-8/10 depending on which attachment you use
Best For: full body

Hopefully, this list has given you an idea of which tools are best for you when it comes to myofascial release. Whether you’re a desk dweller, a gym goer, or both, there’s definitely a massage tool out there that can meet your muscle recovery needs.