Fascia rollers or massage rollers are small practical devices for self massage, loosening muscles and the so-called self myofascial release, that means for loosening fascias or the connective tissue. While the basic principle of those massage devices is always the same, there are still differences between the fascia rollers, which we would like to explain in our fascia rollers guide.
The main differences of fascia rollers refer to shape and size, hardness, surface structure, material, colour, and price. They also differ in the name: while Blackroll or The Grid are brand or model names, the term foam roller refers to the material. The most relevant descriptions are fascia roller or massage roller.
It's not only a questions of size and shape of the rollers but mainly the question of training targets or use. The classic fascia roller are really simple rollers of a diameter of about 15 cm and a length of about 30 to 60 cm. There are also some special shapes like the massage balls or sticks.
These are additional devices for responding to special muscle and body parts more precisely. Fascia rollers with a length of about 30 cm are the most well-known for training or massaging all body parts. That means they can be used for all exercises of fascia training and are always a good choice. When you wish to focus on other uses or the massage of certain muscle parts, you should think about an additional massage device. The 30 cm long models are all-rounders; some back exercises can be done more comfortably with the 45 to 60 cm long models.
Long more than 60 cm , soft rollers are also called pilates rollers. They rather focus on the exercising effect rather than on the massage effect, i. They also do not have a hard core, thus they are softer so that long exercises can be done with them. It's mainly the back that can be mobilised with the pilates rollers.
