“Self-myofascial release” sounds like a fancy therapeutic term, but if you’ve ever used a foam roller or tennis ball to work out muscle knots, kinks or soreness, you’ve already done it. The latest product I’ve discovered for this type of at-home soothing is the Njoie MFLEX ($100; njoie.com), a deep-tissue massage tower with customizable plastic heads. The idea is to drape your body across it in varying positions to better target specific areas.
This kind of self-massage — which can boost short-term flexibility and recovery (and has no major adverse effects), according to a 2022 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Exercise Science — has led to a boom in handheld massage sticks and guns, canes, wheels and more. The MFLEX, which looks like an oversized Lego, was pitched to me as a tool for runners suffering from tight psoas muscles, which start at the lower part of the spine and extend through the pelvis to the femurs, flexing the hip joint and lifting the upper leg toward the body. But running and working out are not the only reasons you might need to massage your psoas muscles; too much time sitting — which, FYI, is an epidemic among Americans — can shorten and tighten these tissues, causing hip flexor mobility issues and hip pain.
Not only do I sit for too many hours each day, but I’m also in the middle of marathon training, a scenario that forced me to set up sports massage appointments every two weeks until race day. Could the MFLEX replace those sessions, or at least help me stay loosened up in between hands-on treatments? I put it to the test.
The Njoie MFLEX massage tower is a massage tool that uses customizable plastic heads to let you better target your body's sorest parts. More intense than a foam roller and cheaper than a high-tech massage gun, the MFLEX may not replace your massage therapist, but it's a great, low-cost option for at-home self-massage.
What we liked about it
It’s customizable
The MFLEX is a modular system that comes with two sets of interchangeable heads and the user instructions are simple: The shorter set is less intense and best for beginners, while the taller set allows for deeper, more intense penetration into your muscles’ trigger points. Once you’ve tried them both, deciding which to use will come down to personal preference.
You can easily swap the heads out by pressing the buttons on the top of the base, and if you flip over the base, two more buttons expand it from 5.25 inches to 7.25 inches to better serve different muscle groups.
To get at my psoas muscles, I lowered myself onto the device with the two heads positioned just below my abdominal area between my pelvis and rib cage; while the rounder, shorter set felt more like lying atop a tennis or lacrosse ball, the narrower, taller set felt like someone’s fingers were digging into that area (not in a bad way, kind of like when my massage therapist works out a knot). Then you just … lie there for 30 seconds to two minutes until you feel the muscles loosen.
It’s versatile
Self-myofascial release can be performed all over the body, and the MFLEX user manual includes detailed illustrated instructions for how to use the device on your glutes, lower back, upper back, shoulders, chest, thighs, hamstrings, calves, shins and feet. It’s not quite as obvious as aiming a massage gun at a muscle knot or rolling sore muscles over a foam roller, but the manual clearly demonstrates how to target each specific area.
I ended up using it most on my psoas muscles and lower back. I found loosening up my psoas muscles to be helpful before a run, while I would use it on my back throughout the rest of the day to relieve tension from sitting — because the round/conical shape of the heads got deeper into those muscles than I’ve experienced with a foam roller.
What we didn’t like about it
Not the best quality
For $100, you’re essentially getting five pieces of plastic. And in the end, that pricing ended up feeling extravagant (especially considering you can get a decent massage gun — like the Renpho Active Massage Gun or the Sportneer Massage Gun — for the same price or less).
In addition, unlike foam rollers, which have textured surfaces to keep you from slipping, the MFLEX is completely smooth plastic. And though this is not an issue when you’re simply lying on top of it, I did find it difficult to rock back and forth to really dig into my glutes (especially when I was wearing leggings). I wouldn’t have minded a slightly more forgiving surface for comfort purposes.
How it compares
There are all kinds of self-myofascial release tools on the market, from foam rollers or massage sticks (you could literally use a rolling pin), which cover a larger surface area, to massage balls or massage guns, which can target more localized knots. A good foam roller, such as the TriggerPoint Grid Patented Multi-Density Foam Massage Roller, rings up at under $50, although you can snag budget versions like the Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller for under $10. On the flip side, a high-tech massage gun can cost anywhere from just over $100 (see: the $129 travel-size Roll Recovery R1) to the over-the-top $599 Theragun Pro Gen 5. This falls somewhere in the middle, but the learning curve — compared to lying atop a foam roller or using a Theragun — is a little steeper.
Bottom line
I’ve been spending around $100 every other week to have a sports masseuse knead my muscles like the MFLEX promises to, and I’m not giving that up for the DIY version anytime soon. But I do think this massage tower offers a complementary benefit to at-home foam rolling, digging deeper into certain areas (especially those affected by too much sitting, like your psoas muscles and lower back) than a tool with a larger surface area can. And it does it all at a more affordable price point than more powerful massage guns.
