Nothing beats human touch, but when there aren’t human hands around to give you the healing touch, there are lots of devices available. My absolute favorite is Thera Cane. It’s made of a very sturdy plastic and designed to reach the areas that you can’t reach to massage yourself. It’s useful in releasing the trigger points, or habitually contracted muscles, that can cause joint pain if you don’t take care of them.
It comes with handles and it’s amazing how much pressure and depth this device can give. There are many ways to use this device and there are lots of videos available. Retail price is about $30-40. If you are looking for a serious self-massage device, be sure to check out Thera Cane: http://theracane.com