• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Testosterone Boosters
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Multivitamins
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Tasting Protein Powder
      • Best Vegan Protein
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
      • Concept2 RowErg Review
      • Hydrow Wave Review
      • Best Jump Ropes
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Reviews

RAD Roller (Product Review)

In my long struggle with back, neck, and shoulder pain, I've tried many self-massage products. The RAD Roller is the best.

Written by Sally Arsenault Last updated on Nov 22, 2021

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

I remember the first time I tried using a lacrosse ball to massage my back. I felt as though I had discovered gold. Finally, I had found a tool that could get deep enough into the muscles in my back to provide some relief.

My History of Back Pain

At the time, I was dealing with a lot of back pain, which has continued on and off ever since. Sometimes the pain is due to an old, worn-out bed I’ve been forced to sleep on during travel, or sometimes it’s from rolling with a larger teammate in an intense roll with a bit too much pressure. Other times it is caused by sitting in an uncomfortable chair for too long. The pain extends from my SI joint to the base of my skull.

I’ve always had a foam roller, but I never found it got into those muscles surrounding my spine deep enough to give relief. It was useless for my neck. Perhaps I’m not heavy enough, or perhaps I wasn’t rolling correctly. Rolling on the wall with a lacrosse ball was a lot better, but it still wasn’t perfect. The pressure was too deep to use on the floor and the ball was hard to keep in place.

A New Discovery: The RAD Roller

I searched in the stores for a small device that could work both sides of the spine at once, but couldn’t find anything. An online search resulted in the discovery of the RAD Roller.This self-myofascial release tool looks like two lacrosse balls fused together, but it isn’t as hard as a lacrosse ball. The pressure of the tool is spread over a wider area as well, so it is still effective, but less intense.

Plantar Fasciitis | Feat. Kelly Starrett | Ep. 77 | MobilityWOD

The site description explains a bit more about the design. “The RAD Roller is, quite literally, designed around the spine, and is now being used by people of all walks of life to create relaxation and relief in nearly every muscle of the body.” It is made of 100% rubber in three different intensities: stiff, original, and soft. I was sent all three to review. Since they’ve arrived, I’ve had a RAD roller with me everywhere I go. I have one at work, one in my BJJ gear bag, and one in the gym backpack I keep in the trunk of my car.

Effectiveness

Since I began using the RAD Roller regularly, I haven’t had to miss any class time due to shoulder, neck, or back pain. When I get to Titans MMA, I roll out my neck, traps, shoulders, and pecs on the wall, then roll my abdominals and back out on the floor with the stiff roller.

Initially, I had planned on only using the RAD Roller for my spine, but a few weeks ago began to feel pain in my rotator cuff. I wrote about this issue in my review of the Bauerfeind OmoTrain shoulder support. When I felt the pain coming back, I was worried that I’d have to pull the brace out again.

That night in my hotel room, I focused the RAD Roller around my shoulders, traps, and neck and the pain disappeared. It came back again a week later, but I rolled it out the same way and added that area to my pre-training routine. I haven’t had issues since.

When my back feels sore during training, I roll it out again at the end of class and that’s usually enough to solve the problem. I should say that I have also avoided sleeping in beds that could cause trouble when I travel by sleeping in wheelchair accessible rooms (when they aren’t needed by people with special needs). These rooms aren’t used as much, and therefore have beds that are less worn out. In addition, when BJJ rolls are hard on my back, I slow it down and try to just flow until the end of the roll.

Another benefit to rolling out on the RAD roller is releasing toxins. Lymph and waste materials get trapped in the muscles and joints sometimes and once you roll them out, you can feel that same sensation of release that you get when you’ve had a good, long stretch.

Because the roller is so small, some of my teammates had issues with it getting caught up in their clothing while they rolled. I had the same issue when I wore looser clothing, so I made sure to roll when I was wearing tighter clothing or used it at home in a sports bra.

Although I focused on my upper body during my review, the RAD Roller was designed for use on all parts of the body. The site offers a PDF with instructions for elbows, hips, IT bands, calves, feet, and anything else that is causing problems. While they don’t claim to be able to cure any conditions, the RAD Roller was “designed by experts to closely replicate the touch of a trained massage therapist anytime and anywhere.” I can attest to the effectiveness of their design, and I hope it can help you, too.

The RAD Roller is available for $24.99 at RadRoller.com.

About Sally Arsenault

Sally Arsenault was not an athlete growing up and did not begin fitness training until she was 26 years old. Her first love was weight lifting, but after being robbed at gunpoint twice, she decided to learn self-defense to take back a sense of control over her own safety.

After trying muay Thai, MMA, and BJJ, she decided to focus on BJJ as it is a leverage-based martial art that was developed for small people, like her, to defeat larger attackers.

Now Sally is a BJJ brown belt under Kevin Taylor at Renzo Gracie Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. She founded a women's only program with hopes of introducing other women to the sport she loves.

BJJ is Sally’s passion and she is constantly researching training methods, techniques, supplements, nutrition, new training gear, and following leaders in the sport to learn their strategies to become a better athlete and competitor.

View All Articles

Related Posts

A photo of the bag of XWERKS Motion on a red background
XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts
A photo of the Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X on a red background
Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?
Photos of the Peloton Bike+, Concept2 BikeErg, and NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike on a red background
13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)
Featured image of Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine supplement
Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

New Year’s Fitness Sales (2025)

XWERKS Motion BCAA Review (2025): A Registered Dietitian’s Honest Thoughts

Assault Fitness AssaultBike Pro X Review (2025): Assault’s Best Bike Yet?

13 Best Exercise Bikes for Home Gyms (2025)

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine Review (2025): The Key to Post-Workout Recovery?

Latest Reviews

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt

Element 26 Hybrid Leather Weightlifting Belt Review (2025)

Omre NMN + Resveratrol, Lifeforce Peak NMN, and partiQlar NMN on a red background

Best NMN Supplement: Fountain of Youth in a Bottle? (2025)

The Titan Series Adjustable Bench on a red background

Titan Series Adjustable Bench Review (2025)

A photo of the NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Dumbbells on a red background

NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbell Review (2025): Are These Value Dumbbells Worth It?

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2025 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About