Cross reference of popular self massage and therapy products
Use this guide to visit the websites of the most popular (non-electric) self massage products on the market and decide for yourself what product is best for your requirements.
Almost all massage and trigger point and myofascial tools utilize a ball or roller shape to achieve the therapy. The single cheapest and most useful tool is a simple assortment of balls found around the house or a sporting goods store, starting with a tennis ball. The next item would be a stick with a rounded tip which can be used as a knobber, such as broom or mop handle cut to about 24”. PVC pipe is also inexpensive and useful. Some type of roller (a 3” pool noodle from the dollar store) would round out the thrifty person’s myofascial toolbag.
For those that want to spend a little more money, there are so many self-massage, trigger point, and myofascial therapy tools available that it may be hard to choose the ones that are right for you and offer the best value. It seems the most gadgets we buy are used for a short while and then end up in our garage, closets, yard sales, or worse, the landfill.
ShiatsuMD products are all multifunctional with the core of each tool being the best closed cell MyoBalls available. The products are designed and produced by hand in the USA, and are “green” products. The ShiatsuBag is a universal and adaptable soft tissue, myofascial, and massage toolbag that offers the best value in theis market. The ShiatsuBag provides the widest range of functionality and therapy on the market and is the only product that allows you to modify the number and hardness of the body contact points of pressure for your personal requirements of self-myofascial and trigger point therapy.
Here is a listing of the most commonly sold self-massage therapy products
Foam rollers have been highly recommended for myofascial release and massage among physical therapists and personal trainers. They are easy to use, but the amount of effort to use them diminishes the relaxation aspect of a nice massage. They are unidirectional and basically manipulate and stretch soft tissue in one direction only which is good for myofascial release. Because of the longer linear surface contact with the body, they have very limited ability to provide good trigger point release. They must be used on large flat areas such as the floor or a table, and while they are lightweight, they are also very bulky and don't travel well. Most stores carry only one density and if you find the roller is too hard or too soft, you need to find and buy a different roller. The less expensive rollers are composed of low density foam that eventually loses it round shape reducing its ability roll.
The MaRoller®, Earthlite®, and the Backroller® are solid wood, can be very uncomfortable, and are fairly limited to areas of the body they can be used on. The points of contact are not adjustable to accommodate different sized people and various areas of the body and they cannot be modified or softened.
Myo-Balls® , and Miracle Balls® come in a variety of sizes from 4" - 10" diameters. The quality Myo-balls are made of high density foam (ShiatsuBalls are made of a custom formulation of High Density EVA) and the lower quality balls are made of biofoam, or inflated PVC. They provide the same functionality that any other ball is capable of, but are ideally suited for providing trigger point and deep tissue manipulation. The only real advantage that ShiatsuMD MyoBalls offer is price and a wide range of sizes and densities. A variety pack of Myoballs is available. Elaine Petrones' Miracle balls® are quite similar to ShiatsuMD MyoBalls but are 3x more expensive at $8.00/each.
Pilates Balls® and Thera-band® exercise balls come in a variety of sizes from 8" - 36" diameters. They are used extensively for Pilates, comfortable and great for stretching, flexibility, and limited myofascial release. They do not provide deep tissue or trigger point release and are fairly expensive for just a ball. The larger balls are bulky for transport, require a lot of storage space, and require periodic inflating. Don't let your dog get ahold of them or you'll be buying a new one. ShiatsuMD MyoBalls are solid high density foam that won't deflate and hold up under most dog attacks.
Other single balls like tennis balls, softballs, and toy balls are inexpensive compared to myoballs®, and do a wonderful job, however every type of ball has its benefits and drawbacks. Tennis or toy balls get costly when you buy multiple units and multiple balls provide better stretching and massage therapy. Would you want a massage practitioner to massage you with just one or two fingers? The multiple balls used in the ShiatsuBag create multiple points of contact and each ball is interactive with surrounding balls mimicking the massage practitioners hands and fingers working together.
Homedics® are nice relaxing products, but usually end up in the closet or garage sale. Generally speaking they are not portable and cannot be used in the car. They are heavy, require a power source, and the products are very limited in scope. The neck massager is good for the neck, and thats it. The back massager is good for the back, but can't provide a neck or facial massage. The vibrators work well in fleshy areas, but not on joints and boney areas and are noisy. Also, your arms get tired holding them.
The ShiatsuBag is a universal and adaptable soft tissue, myofascial, and massage toolbag. Use this guide to visit the websites of the most popular self massage products on the market and decide for yourself what product is best for your requirements. The ShiatsuBag provides the widest range of functionality and therapy on the market and is the only product that allows you to modify the number and density of body contact pressure points for your personal requirements.
"one of the advantages of the bag -- and this is an important, positive point -- is that the user CAN achieve some precision with your tool. It may provide a lot of miscellaneous tissue stimulation, but it also offers some potential to settle into a more precise pressure"
Paul Ingraham, Registered Massage Therapist,
author and publisher of the popular eBook, "Save Yourself from Trigger Points and Myofascial Pain Syndrome!"
See his full review of ShiatsuBag and ShiatsuBalls (now MyoBalls)
The ShiatsuBag , foam rollers, Myoballs®, MA Rollers®, and Homedics® back and neck massagers all use the same basic principle of applying the force of your body mass to a ball or smooth curved shaped surface and movement.
"the concept of rolling on balls is simple but effective. My favorite area to use the bag is behind my shoulder blades."
Sharon McDonnell, MS, CPT www.howtodothings.com
The ShiatsuBag is multi-functional, modifiable, and adaptable. It works from head to toe, and can even provide a nice facial massage. It is adapatable, you can soften the penetration or increase it simply by changing the support surface. You hold nothing in your hands. For acupressure no effort is required by just laying or sitting on it, and minimal effort for is needed for a relaxing massage. More effort is needed for large rolling massage strokes. You can even pull the Homedics® massager out of the closet and use it together with the ShiatsuBag for effortless massage or with a vibrating massager which distributes the vibrations to the surrounding balls. | 
