Best Vibrating Therapy Balls – Our Top 5 Favorites 

For several years, foam rollers have held a prominent position as the ‘go-to’ device for getting a great self-myofascial release massage. Recently, however, the foam roller has been supplanted by the therapy ball. Research and anecdotal evidence show that the therapy ball is a more effective and versatile tool.

With the recent introduction of vibration, the therapy ball is now even more potent. In this article, we reveal the 5 best vibrating therapy balls on the market currently. We’ll also answer your key questions about vibrating massage balls.

Therapy Ball 101

What is a therapy ball?

Therapy balls are balls that are used to provide self-massage through pressure. Therapy balls have several different names including ‘mobility balls’, ‘myofascial release balls’, fitness balls’, ‘Swiss balls’,‘yoga balls’ and ‘physical therapy balls’. These all refer to the same thing, though they may come in a huge range of shapes and sizes. There are also cold massage rollers that can also provide pain relief. 

Most therapy balls are lightweight. They come in a range of hardnesses and some of them feature knobs or protrusions that allow you to more deeply penetrate the muscle tissue.

How does it work?

Massage balls allow you to perform your own very targeted deep tissue massage. They are extremely effective at isolating a muscle group and breaking up the myofascial tension that has caused the pain in the muscle. They are more effective than other tools like foam rollers because they allow you to precisely position them to work entirely on the target pain point.

The introduction of a vibration feature to therapy balls makes them even more effective.

What areas of the body and muscle groups can it treat?

The beauty of therapy balls is that they can be used to specifically target any pain points within the body. A therapy ball that is the size of a lacrosse ball, for example, will be able to be used to target even the smallest of muscle groups when placed between your body and the floor or a wall.

For different parts of the body, you will need different sized balls as follows...

For hands, forearms, and feet, you will need a therapy ball that is between 42 and 67 mm in diameter. That equates to the sizes of a golf ball and a lacrosse ball.

For calves, hamstrings, abdomen/psoas, buttocks, upper and lower back, deltoids and neck, choose a therapy ball that is 73, 67 or 73 mm in diameter. Those are the sizes of lacrosse, tennis, and baseballs, respectively.

To work your chest and shoulder, you will need a therapy ball that is about 100 mm, or 4 inches, in diameter.

How to use a therapy ball?

Lie on the floor or stand against a wall and place the therapy ball between your body and the wall/floor. Now apply mild pressure to the pain point to bring relief.

Benefits

Therapy balls allow you to apply direct, specific and targeted pressure to your muscular pain points to bring fast relief. They allow you to perform myofascial release therapy on your specific pain points that you cannot get with other tools like foam rollers.

3 Vibration Settings

The Hyperice Hypersphere Vibrating Therapy Ball provides you with three digital vibration settings. This allows you to customize the vibrations between mild, medium and intense settings.

High-Intensity Vibration

The high-intensity vibrating core of the Hypersphere transfers maximum vibration to your body to achieve the fastest relief possible.

Textured Rubber Exterior

The textured rubber exterior of the Hyperice Hypersphere Vibrating Therapy Ball is designed to target localized soft tissue - and it does so very effectively.

Lightweight and Portable

This massage ball is extremely lightweight and portable so that it can be very easily taken along in your gym bag to be used during your warm-up and warm-down sessions.

Rechargeable Battery

The Hyperice Hypersphere Vibrating Therapy Ball comes with a rechargeable battery that provides you with 2 hours of battery life. That should provide you with plenty of power to get through your massage sessions.

4 Vibration Levels

The Vulken Acusphere 4 Speed High-Intensity Vibrating Massage Ball provides you with four vibration levels to give you complete control over the level of vibration that is required. As well as getting high, medium and low vibration levels you also get a pulsating function. This makes it doubly effective at penetrating those painful pressure points.

Improved Design

The Vulken Acusphere 4 Speed High-Intensity Vibrating Massage Ball has an improved design on its predecessor. The pulsating massage ball now features a series of nodules that provide extra penetration into the muscle tissue.

Portable and Rechargeable

The Vulken Acusphere provides you with the ultimate in portable massage relief. It is only 3.75 inches in diameter so can easily fit into your pocket. You also get 2 hours of charge time with the rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

10-Minute Auto Shut Off

The Vulken Acusphere 4 Speed High-Intensity Vibrating Massage Ball provides you with a 10-minute auto shut off function to prevent the battery from expiring when you forget to turn the device off before throwing it in your gym bag.

4 Vibration Modes

The TuoFang Vibrating Massage Ball provides you with four vibration modes; light, medium, high and variable. Pressing the power button allows you to switch between modes.

Textured Surfaces

The textured surfaces on the TuoFang Vibrating Massage Ball provide nodes to allow you to achieve deeper penetration than a flat-surfaced therapy ball can accomplish.

Soft Silicone Skin

The soft silicone skin on the TuoFang Vibrating Massage Ball makes for a very pleasant feel on your body when you are using this device. It is waterproof up to IP65 meaning that it can be directly washed in water.

Portabale & Rechargeable

The TuoFang Vibrating Massage Ball is rechargeable to provide you with a 90-minute life off of a 2 hour charge time.

Hourglass Shape

The Professional Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball provides you with a unique hourglass shape that is ergonomically designed to mold to your body and provide fast relief. This is especially beneficial when massaging the neck as the massager sits like a perfectly formed pillow.

Thick Silicone Layer

The Professional Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball is covered with a 4 mm thick silicone layer that provides superior elasticity, thermal stability, and padding when rolling.

Two Vibrating Spheres

This massager makes use of not one but two vibrating spheres to provide dual contact. This allows you to more precisely dictate the points of pressure and contact.

Portable & Rechargeable

The Professional Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball is fully portable. It is lightweight and one recharge will give you two hours of massage time. There are battery life LED indicators on the side of this device so you know exactly how much charge is left.

4 Intensity Levels

This massager provides you with 4 levels of vibration intensity as follows: Low (1200 rpm), Medium (2000 rpm), High (3600 rpm), Variable Speed (1200 – 2700 rpm). This allows you to apply just the right amount of stimulation to suit the muscles being worked.

Single Button Functionality

You can quickly and easily switch between the four intensity levels on this unit with the depression of a single button. This massager also features a 10-minute auto shut off to preserve the life of your battery.

Raised Ridge Design

The unique raised ridge design on the Zyllion Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball provides you with deeper penetrative potential. In addition, the peanut shape design contours to your body to more effectively work on your muscles.

Long-Lasting Battery

The battery life on the Zyllion Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball is the best that we have come across, at 4.5 hours off of a two-hour charge when working at the lowest intensity level.

3 Intensity Levels

The Zyllion Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball provides you with 3 vibration intensity levels and a pulsating level. The 3 levels are low at 1,350 rpm, medium at 2,200 rpm and high at 4,000 rpm. The pulsation level is between 1,200 and 2,700 rpm.

What is the difference between foam rollers and massage balls?

A vibrating foam roller adds the effect of vibration on the now-familiar cylindrical form of the foam roller, providing for a combination of vibration, self-myofascial release, and compression. Vibrating foam rollers come in a variety of frequencies. The sweet spot in terms of effectiveness seems to be about 33 Hz. You will, on most devices, be able to select between low, medium and high settings.

A vibrating massage ball is a spherical device that is used in much the same way as a foam roller. Massage balls come in all sizes from a tiny golf ball-sized version to the all too familiar large ‘Swiss’ balls which have been around for decades. Recently manufacturers have added the element of vibration to some massage balls.

Because they have a much more concentrated form, massage balls apply a far greater amount of pressure to a specific area of muscular pain, providing a deeper, more intense massage experience and resulting in faster recovery.

An advantage of a foam roller is that it will allow you to cover a wider area of muscle. This makes it more effective as a general warm-up or warm down tool, while the massage ball is best for addressing specific pain points. Massage balls are also more versatile. While foam rollers are effective mainly for working the lower body, massage balls are effective for the upper back, neck, chest, lower back, plantar fascia, groin, and other areas. Many of these areas get missed by the bigger foam roller.

Can a therapy ball be used on the neck area?

Yes, a massage ball can be an effective treatment for neck pain. Often pain in the neck is caused by tension. This can set off a chain of bodily reactions that directly affects trigger points. The result is that the muscles around the back of the neck may feel knotty.

Emotional or physical stress can cause the fascia that covers our muscles to constrict too tightly. This leads to the development of trigger points. A massage ball can allow you to perform self-myofascial release to bring relief.

You can use a massage ball to get neck relief by placing the ball on the tender area of your neck and then lying on the floor or leaning against a wall. Apply the appropriate degree of pressure until you find relief.

If you have two massage balls, you can put them both in a sock with a small gap between them. Tie the end of the sock. Now lie on the floor with the sock acting as a cradle for your neck, with a ball on either side of your spine. Press down on the balls until you feel relief.

What is myofascial release?

Myofascial release is a form of treatment for muscle aches and pains that involves gentle and sustained pressure to the muscle to relieve constrictions upon the myofascial connective tissue that surrounds every muscle.

Here are four reasons why myofascial release will help you to recover faster

• It softens fascia – fascia is a fibrous tissue that connects and secures other structures to each other. When it is thick, we feel pain. Using a therapy ball transforms it from a thick gel to a fluid again which helps relieve pain.
• It improves muscle tissue quality – foam rolling allows the muscle to be deeply and firmly kneaded. Long, low, sweeping, rolling movements are the best to achieve this.
• It numbs trigger points – trigger points are hot spots around the body where there is more tension and inflammation than in other parts. With a therapy ball, you are able to target these hot spots with small, repetitive movements.
• It breaks up scar tissue – intense exercise can cause minor scar tissue. The most common example of this is DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Using a therapy ball will allow you to provide self-massage to break up this scar tissue and provide relief.

Studies have consistently shown that foam rolling and the use of massage balls effectively relieves post-workout DOMS.

Can you bring massage balls on a plane? Are they TSA approved?

Yes, massage balls can be taken on a plane. They do not come under any of the banned categories issued by the TSA.

Final Thoughts:

Vibrating therapy balls provide a unique, targeted and extremely effective solution to muscle aches and pains. The best vibrating massager on the market right now is the Hyperice Hypersphere Vibrating Therapy Ball. However, if you are after superior battery life, we recommend the Zyllion Vibrating Peanut Massage Ball which delivers up to 4.5 hours of relief off a single charge!