Research-Based

Ashley Black Fasciablaster Review

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By Leslie Waterson

Reviewed by Juliana Tamayo, MS, RDN - Last Updated

Fasciablaster-Review

Fasciae (pronounced “FA-shee-uh”) are the sheets of connective tissue that run beneath the skin and enclose muscles and other smooth organs. One of the most common causes of pain is inflammation of the various fasciae of the body, most often in the feet and heels. When fasciae tissue is inflamed, it puts stress on nociceptors (pain receptors) which causes a deep burning and tingling. 

Nearly 1 in 10 people will experience some kind of fasciae pain in their lifetime. Luckily, there exist several products designed to manage fasciae pain and work out the kinks in strained connective tissue. 

Fasciablaster is a neat self-massage tool designed for massaging myofascial tissue. The clawed rod lets you probe deep in the skin to reach those deep inflamed tissues and massage them out.

There are tons of tools out there that claim to heal this or do that, and often the products don’t make good on their promises. So today, we are going to talk about Fasciablaster and cover its benefits, disadvantages, where to buy one, and whether it does what it claims to do. 

Ashley Black Fasciablaster

Overview: Fasciablaster

Ashley Black Fasciablaster tester

Developed by Ashley Black, the Fasciablaster markets itself as the “#1 selling self-massage myofascial tool for massaging your tissue.” the creators claim that with regular use, it can relieve fasciae pain and also reduce the appearance of cellulite. The 21.5” rod has a series of claw-like ends lined up along the center. Your rub the rod over your body while the claw ends dig deep into your body tissues to massage fascia and break up cellulite. The more pressure you apply, the deeper the massage is. 

To be clear, the Fasciablaster is not a “weight loss” device, though it is claimed that it can reduce the appearance of visceral fat and cellulite. The fat and cellulite are still there, they’re just not as noticeable. 

Along with the 21.5” model, there is a smaller Mini model a blaster designed for your face, and one designed specifically for the feet. Among the other benefits claimed are pain reduction, improved flexibility, improved circulation, and increased muscle definition. As of 2019, over 700,000 Fasciablasters have been sold. 

Advantages

  • Can use all over the body
  • Massage has proven benefits
  • Reduces pain
  • Multiple versions available
  • Reduces the appearance of cellulite

Disadvantages

  • Does not fold up
  • Expensive

Who Makes Fasciablaster?

Ashley Black

Fascia Blaster was designed by Ashley Black, a former competitive athlete turned inventor and fitness guru. Ashley Black has a rather inspirational story. As a child, she was diagnosed with a rare condition called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis that is characterized by severe joint and musculoskeletal pain. Although the doctors told her she would need a wheelchair by age 25, Ashely pressed on and became a competitive cheerleader in college and later a professional fitness instructor.

Black was inspired to make the Fasciablaster to deal with her own fasciae pain. Using herself as a guinea pig, Black developed her own technique of soft tissue massage meant to target strained connective tissues. She has been published in the medical journal Cogent Medicine. This process culminated in the creation of the Fasciablaster.

Does the Fasciablaster Work?

Unfortunately, there are a bunch of weird ideas about fasciae out there and some people believe that the fasciae are responsible for basically all ailments. Part of this is because the term “fasciae” does not have a precise medical meaning that is relevant to clinical application. As such, many people use the term fasciae to refer to all kinds of biological structures that may not necessarily be related. 

It is known for sure that inflamed fascia can cause pain and stiffness, but it is much less clear whether manual stimulation is actually good for relieving said pain. There is some moderate evidence that, at least in the case of plantar fasciitis, massages can be a good way to reduce pain, but it is less clear whether it fixes the problem. More generally, muscle massage is a well-established method of dealing with certain kinds of musculoskeletal pain. 

Many users claim that the Fasciablaster works including some famous celebrities. These are just claims though and there is really no clinical evidence. It is not clear whether the claimed benefits of the Fasciablaster are due to special fasciae probing techniques or just due to a regular old massage. 

The Fasciablaster also claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Again, there is no clinical evidence backing up this claim, but there is some evidence that regular deep tissue massages can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite. Some users also report that using the Fasciablaster made them gain weight.

We should also mention that the company has received 2 class action lawsuits mounted by users who claim the product was hurting them and leaving long-lasting bruises. Neither of these claims ever made it to trial and the company has dismissed these claims, but it’s still something you should know. 

We will say that the product has pretty solid user reviews both on the company website and Amazon, so it seems that a lot of people find it useful. This could, however, just be selection bias as those who have a good experience with the devices are probably more likely to leave a positive review. 

Where to Buy and Cost

You can buy the Fasciablaster directly from Ashley Black’s website or you can buy it from Amazon. It does not seem to be available at any physical retailer yet. You can buy the standard Fasciablaster for $89.00

Fasciablaster: Worth it or Not?

Despite Ashley Black’s inspiring personal story and her supposed clinical research, there is just not enough evidence backing the claim that physical manipulation of fasciae can relieve tension or “work out kinks.” There is some evidence that manual stimulation can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite. Otherwise, it seems the Fasciablaster is just a unique massage stick, which there exists several of those out there for less than the hefty $90 price tag. If you are looking for something new and have the cash, we guess there is no harm, but otherwise, you could settle for a regular massager. 

Overall Rating:
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Leslie Waterson

Leslie has been passionately involved in the health and fitness industries for over a decade. She is constantly reviewing the latest scientific research and studies in order to take a research-backed approach to lifestyle optimization. Her main areas of interest include nutrition and supplementation. Leslie shares her findings on Fitness Clone to help other health enthusiasts choose the products and routines that will help them achieve their goals.