If you have tight, sore muscles and are looking for some relief then a muscle roller is a great tool to have.
For half the cost of visiting a masseuse you can buy and own self-massaging equipment which allows you to soothe your own body when and where you need it.
Muscle rollers have become so popular there are now hundreds of models and variations available to buy. To help you work out which muscle roller is best for you we’ve reviewed our top picks across three broad categories.
Contents: Select these links to jump down to relevant sections.
FAQs about muscle rollers
Foam rollers
Muscle roller sticks and massage sticks
Massage balls
FAQs about muscle rollers
Why use a muscle roller?
Most people experience the discomfort and pain of sore muscles from time to time. Muscle knots (trigger points) are caused by misalignment of muscle tissue due to injury, trauma, poor posture, bad motor habits and emotional distress.
Healing these muscle areas can create more efficient movement and greater comfort in your body. It can help bring back lost range of motion in joints, massage away soreness and even speed up muscle recovery after exercise. They may help with related problems like a headache caused from tight muscles in the neck, back, and shoulder areas.
You could go to a masseuse or physical therapist to help release these trigger points, but that’s a luxury we can’t all afford!
Using a roller gives you the ability to help yourself heal and recover.
Does a roller do the same thing as muscle stretching?
Imagine you had a rope with a knot in it and you pulled it tight. It’s likely that the knot remains and you could actually be pulling the knot tighter. When you stretch a knotted muscle, the unknotted part can get stretched while the knotted part still remains tense. Use a roller to release the knot out of the muscle, so the whole muscle can be stretched evenly.
How do muscle rollers work?
Using a muscle roller is a type of self massage, or self-myofascial release (SMR), technique that can be effective for many muscles. You move the roller around a muscle group until you find a tender area (aka a trigger point), then maintain pressure on that spot for 30 to 60 seconds. This helps the tension to release, and restores normal blood flow to the area.
Does it hurt to use a roller for sore muscles?
When you roll or work on a tight muscle you will experience slight discomfort or pain. It shouldn’t be severe, but more like the gentle pain you get when doing a muscle stretch. It should feel better after you’ve held the pressure there for a while.
Have you ever had tight, stiff shoulders and when someone touches you to give you a shoulder massage, it provides a sensation that seems both slightly painful and pleasurable at the same time? This is the sort of feeling you’re after. There will be a gentle pain, followed by a sensation of release and relief.
If you think your muscles are sore due to injury, you should see your doctor. If you are using the roller as a type of therapy you should of course follow the directions of your therapist, and ask them about any pain you are concerned about.
Can a roller help with trigger points?
Trigger points are knots that form in muscle tissue and, when touched, they refer pain. This means the pain is felt in a different area from the body to where the trigger point is actually located. When you target the point with massage (including with a roller) you can help the tension to release, and relieve the pain.
Foam Rollers
You can use foam rollers as a self massage tool, for physical therapy or for use during or after exercise.
Many exercise modalities incorporate them for balance and strength training, including yoga, pilates, and the Feldenkrais method (where it originated from). They are now commonly found at gyms and used by personal trainers for stretching and muscle recovery exercises.
Many physical therapists also teach their clients to do exercises with muscle rollers, including podiatrists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and trigger point therapists.
Foam rolling can be used on all major muscles in the body, and works particularly well on:
- glutes and piriformis muscles
- adductors
- hip flexors
- quadriceps
- gastrocnemius
- hamstrings
- trapezius
- rhomboids
Read our reviews of the best foam rollers.
Muscle Roller Sticks and Massage Sticks
Using a massage stick or a muscle roller stick gives you the same benefits of other types of massage:
- They relax tight, sore muscles.
- They can improve flexibility.
- They increase blood flow to the massaged area.
- They allow you to perform self-myofascial release to relieve the tight spots (knots or trigger points) in your muscles.
Compared to foam rollers, massage roller sticks are compact, lightweight and portable. You can keep one in your gym bag and take it with you wherever you work out. Or keep it in a desk drawer and help work out your tired back muscles caused from sitting all day in an office.
Read our reviews on the best massage and muscle roller sticks.
What’s the difference?
Massage sticks are often natural and rustic, made out of wood or bamboo.
Muscle roller sticks are modern and man made. They have handles and are made of a combination of materials. They often have a textured surface with soft bumps or spikes to press into the skin and muscles.
When would you use a massage roller stick rather than a foam roller?
The shape of a muscle roller stick, along with handles, allows you to get into angles and positions on your body in a different way to a foam roller. While a regular foam roller usually requires you to lie on the ground to use it, a massage stick can be used standing, sitting, kneeling or crouching. You can even use it in tight spaces, such as in the car when you’re on the way home from a running event. Instead of using the pressure of your body weight on the ground, use your arms to provide the amount of pressure you want.
The handles make massage easy to perform on yourself. Plus, if you (or a friend or partner) are feeling generous, you can also use a muscle roller stick on another person. Foam rollers can’t do that because they usually work by you pressing your own body weight against the roller.
Compared to foam rollers, roller sticks are compact, lightweight and portable. You can keep one in your gym bag and take it with you wherever you work out. Keep one in a desk drawer and help work out your tired back muscles caused from sitting all day in an office.
Go here to learn more about muscle roller sticks and massage sticks, read our reviews and discover our top picks.
Massage Balls
Read our reviews of the top massage balls.
The compact size of these balls makes them very portable, so you can easily keep one in your bag to use throughout the day.
Keep one in your desk at work, so you can roll it under your feet throughout the day to relieve stress. Or have one in your bedside drawer, so you can relax before bed and get a better night’s sleep.
They come in different sizes, textures and levels of firmness, all of which are good for different purposes.
What next?
This is a general guide to choosing a muscle roller for massage and exercise. To see my top picks of the specific types try looking at one of these pages: