The Best Foot Massager for Runners (Review) in 2020

best foot massager for runners

Running is a perfect way to improve your health and general well-being, but it can be hard on your feet. Every runner experiences foot pain from time to time, but that’s no reason to quit running! Instead, try taking care of your tired and achy feet the right way – by using foot massagers. These little tools can help you relax and rejuvenate your feet, prevent serious injuries, accelerate post-recovery and even improve your running performance. But how to find the best foot massager for runners for you and your needs specifically?

Here is a guide that may help you with that. We cover reviews of top 5 best foot massagers for runners, as well as some useful tips and tricks for buying foot massagers and dealing with foot pain.

Our Picks for The Best Rated Foot Massager for Runners

Brookstone F4 Shiatsu Foot Massager with Heat

Brookstone F4 Shiatsu Foot Massager with Heat

Perhaps the best foot massager for runners on the market, Brookstone’s shiatsu massager provides 3 auto massage programs to help target any need a runner might have: Soothe, Puls and Energize. It comes with deep-kneading rollers that stimulate reflexology zones, providing massages that boost circulation and knead out muscle tightness, mimicking massages from real-life massage experts.

Another feature called Dynamic Squeeze Massage incorporates 24 air chambers surrounding the thighs, calves and feet, giving a massage that combats muscle tension and foot fatigue and eases muscle soreness.

This foot massager also comes with a heat function, which helps boost circulation, relieve muscle and ankle pain and promote overall relaxation.

Importantly, Brookstone’s foot massager is easy to clean thanks to its zip-out linings, and convenient to move thanks to its lightweight and a grab-and-go handle.

TriggerPoint Foam Roller

TriggerPoint Foam Roller

This is not your typical foot massager – there are no vibrations, kneading massages or heat functions  – but that doesn’t make it less effective at reducing foot pain and muscle soreness. In fact, this simple foam roller is perfect for those who are just starting with foot massagers –affordable, easy to use, created by professionals and durable. The GRID foam roller is excellent for rolling through knots and kinks in tight calve and thigh muscles, for boosting blood circulation and for relieving muscle pain. Its patented 3-D surface and design can withstand repeated use without bending or distorting in any way.

Most importantly, TG GRID foam roller’s multi-dimensional surface replicates the feeling of a massage therapist’s hands by boosting blood flow and increasing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. It helps users recover from injuries faster, relieves muscle and joint pain and improves flexibility and mobilit

Moji Foot PRO Massager

Moji Foot PRO Massager

If you’re looking for a travel-friendly, easy-to-use foot massager that’s also great for Plantar Fasciitis, you’ve found it – it’s the Moji foot pro massager. This small foot massager features high-tech, professional grade stainless steel spheres whose role is to dig deep into sore muscles and relieve pain and tightness.  Moji’s massager works by combining balls and rollers to provide a thorough, effective massage for feet that relieves pain, revitalizes sore feet, and helps with injury recovery.

Perhaps most importantly, this foot massager can help with plantar fasciitis, the condition that makes the bottom of the feet hurt and ache when walking. This is thanks to the product’s stainless spheres that are able to deeply massage the tissue and break up sore muscles. As a bonus, you can give yourself a pain-relieving ice massage with Moji foot pro massager, as the product can be frozen and used cold.

So, if you’re looking for the best foot massager for runners with plantar fasciitis, Moji foot pro could be it.

Natural Chemistree Foot Massage Roller

Natural Chemistree Foot Massage Roller

The foot massage roller from Natural Chemistree is one of the most affordable, yet one of the most effective foot massagers you could find. This simple and easy-to-use massager is ergonomically contoured to provide a full contact with the sole of the foot and a deep-tissue massage with therapeutic effects. Natural Chemistree’s massager has numerous nubs on the surface of the roller which provide a kneading effect that relieves foot pain and boosts blood circulation.

If you have sensitive feet and you want only gentle massages, leave your socks on; if, on the other hand, you’re up for more intense and energizing massages, use the massage roller barefoot (highly recommended after long-term jogging!).

Conveniently, this foot massage roller is lightweight and easy to move from place to place, which means you can comfortably use it at work just as you can at home.

Vive Massage Roller Ball

Vive Massage Roller Ball

Vive massage roller ball is a handheld massager that can help with sore and painful feet, tight calve muscles and tense thigh muscles. This portable roller ball provides targeted and customized pressure massage that ranges from deep to light. So, if your feet are in need of a sensitive massage, or a deep-tissue, invigorating massage, Vive massager can help.

Gliding smoothly along clothing or bare skin, this roller ball massager doesn’t produce any friction. And since it’s made of a hypoallergenic, latex-free material, it can be used even by the most sensitive skin types. Also, it’s compatible with massage oils and lotions, so feel free to boost your feet massage experience with oils and creams of your choice.

Besides feet, the Vive massage roller ball can also be used on legs, buttocks, back, arms and neck.

Best Foot Massager for Runners Buying Guide

Finding the best foot massager for runners means finding the one that is best for you specifically. So, besides reading reviews and about other people’s experiences with foot massagers, it’s crucial you take your own needs and desires into account. Here is what we mean by that:

  • For instance, if you have some kind of an injury, it’s best to speak to a medical professional first, to ensure that repeated massages are right for your current medical condition. If they are, you may want to buy the massager that provides the most comfort, meaning electric foot massagers that you can just slip your feet into.
  • If you just want to relax yourself and provide comfort for your feet after running and you’re not ready to spend a lot of money on foot massagers, go for manual foot massagers such as foot rollers or handheld massagers – they’re much cheaper and usually provide gentle, light massages.

And of course, there are the types of massages you should pay attention to:

Shiatsu massage is a traditional Japanese massage, that in the case of electric foot massagers, uses rotating heads or vibrators to provide deep-tissue, kneading massages. They’re particularly useful for runners, as they can not only relieve muscle pain and soreness, but actually target specific foot parts, promoting overall relaxation and well-being.

Heat function, although not necessary for foot massages, is a welcome feature that can aid in full-body relaxation. Soothing heat along with a massage loosens tight muscles, increases blood circulation and can actually increase foot flexibility.

Manual massage that comes from foot massage rollers, balls, foams and other tools is a great way to give your feet a well-deserved massage on a budget. Normally, it’s best to start with these types of foot massagers, as they’re cheap, easy to use and a great introduction to foot massages. Manual massagers give you control of the strength and pressure of the massage and are perfect for getting rid of muscle soreness and tightness and for promoting circulation.

Runners and Foot Injuries: Main Causes of Foot Pain

Although running is one of the best ways to improve heart and brain health, boost the health of the immune, digestive and respiratory system, it’s far from ideal for foot health. Running puts high stress on the foot’s bones and joints, so it’s not uncommon to develop some kind of a foot condition, including pain and tenderness when walking or full-blown injuries. If you’re experiencing any kind of discomfort when running, it’s best to arm yourself with knowledge, so you can seek appropriate treatment.

Plantar Fasciitis: a stabbing heel pain, or plantar fasciitis is the most common runner’s foot injury. It occurs from repetitive stress of hitting the pavement, which irritates ligaments and can cause inflammation and pain.

Ankle Sprain: unlike plantar fasciitis, which can make you wonder whether or not something’s really wrong with your foot, you know when you get an ankle sprain. This painful injury can occur if you fall or stumble and end up stretching your ankle ligaments.

Stress Fracture: stress fracture is common among runners. It develops gradually through repetitive stress on a bone, usually metatarsal bone. You may not notice it immediately, but over time, a stress fracture can lead to severe pain and swollen foot.

Luckily, there are ways you can avoid common running injuries:

  • Always make sure you stretch before and after you run to increase your flexibility;
  • Don’t overdo it – rest is just as important for health as is running;
  • Always wear comfortable shoes that are based on your foot type and your running style.

Finally, to really take care of your foot health, use foot massagers. If you find the best foot massager for runners (for you) and use it every day, you’ll promote foot relaxation, increase blood circulation, accelerate recovery and prevent some of the common running injuries.

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