The 10 Best Massage Balls

This GoFit 5 Inch (appx. $17) is made by wrapping lightweight foam over a solid core, creating a surface that penetrates deep into your muscles without causing too much pain. The textured exterior keeps it in place on the floor or wall while you roll around on it.

The Gaiam Restore Hot and Cold (around $9) can provide a myriad of therapeutic benefits, especially for tired, injured, or chronically sore feet. The kit includes a spiked ball for increasing circulation to fatigued areas and a smooth one for rolling out knots.

The GoFit Ballx2 (appx. $25) has a bungee cord jutting out of each end, which you can grasp to direct pressure wherever you need it. This also enables you to dictate how firm of a massage you want, as you can reduce the intensity simply by easing up on your grip.

The peanut-shaped SKLZ Dual Point (around $14) has an indentation in the middle designed to cradle the spine as it works up and down your back. This also makes it ideal for loosening up your IT bands and reducing tension in other long muscle groups.

The Trigger Point Performance Foam (around $14) is designed to mimic the pressure of thumbs to give you targeted myofascial release. It's a smart middle ground for users who want to dig deep into their tissue, but who find hard, plastic models to be too painful.

The uniformly-spaced spikes on the RumbleRoller BXA Beastie (about $25) allow you to apply local pressure to any knots or trigger points in your muscles. Each individual bump is extra-firm, so you can really dig in deep without having it collapse on you.

The Pro-Tec Athletics Orb (around $19) provides a firm feel, so it isn't for users who prefer a delicate touch. Its dotted surface sinks into affected areas anywhere on your body, helping to break up knots and relax any overly-tight muscles.

The Epitomie Fitness Muscle Max (appx. $22) has a grid of deep seams running all around its exterior laid out in different patterns. This varies the angle and severity of the pressure it exerts, preventing your muscles from becoming accustomed to it.

You get several relief options in this offering from Invincible Fitness (about $27). It comes with four balls of different sizes, including two spiky models — one soft, one firm. While each is useful in its own right, it's the variety that makes this kit stand out.

Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one — and that's the case with the Kieba Lacrosse (appx. $10). These two rubber balls don't have any bells or whistles, but they're nevertheless able to soothe tired, aching muscles both at home and on the go.