As a girl who does a fairly intense, three-times-a-week, “power hour” weights class, but wasn’t a fan of stretching, I found it life-changing to learn a few years ago, while on assignment at the Miraval Resort in Tucson, that I could use the force of my body, on a Trigger Point foam roller, to massage out knots, roll out my thighs, and stretch out my tight quads. And while it wasn’t necessarily easy or comfortable (it’s a hurt-so-good thing), it was more fun than traditional static stretching and, for me, totally worked.
Until I got home. I ordered a large foam roller only to find out it is a laughable accessory for someone in a studio apartment as small as mine — I literally have to move furniture to create enough floor space to use it. And this is where Tiger Tail came to the rescue. I discovered these hand-held foam rollers at a trade show, and they’re sized down to be used while traveling, or on hard-to-reach, smaller areas. That’s the key — in certain areas of the body, the thinner roller actually works even better than the full-size version. It’s never been easier to roll out knots in the neck or back area, and — most critically — that pesky IT band behind the knee that every runner destroys. I haven’t totally ditched the larger model, which I think is more effective on quads, but I now just use that one at the gym. It means I also keep my home-furniture scheme stylishly intact. — Rima Suqi
https://nymag.com/strategist/2017/02/best-grid-foam-roller-muscle-massager-for-sore-muscles.html
