What is an Electric Massage Gun?
A massage gun is a portable device that looks like an electric drill. It has a handle that you grip with one hand and a massage head, and different replaceable attachments thump swiftly against your skin, striking the muscle beneath and offering percussive treatment. Percussive treatment is a form of physical therapy that employs rapid bursts of pressure to massage muscles [1].
Massage therapists frequently use electric massage guns to treat pain and improve blood circulation. Fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds your joints and muscles, can become inflamed and painful. Tight fascia may also limit your range of movement. Furthermore, when one muscle group stiffens and restricts the range of motion of a certain portion of your body, other muscles overcompensate. This puts you in danger of serious injury [2].
Percussive therapy massage guns, unlike vibration treatment and foam rolling, penetrate up to an inch into your soft tissue (deep tissue), activating your muscles and helping your brain in releasing stress. It aims to prevent tightness, improve range of motion, and expedite muscle healing.
When to Use an Electric Massage Gun
Percussive treatment can be given before or after a workout using a massage gun. Percussive therapy before an exercise can help avoid future pain and improve the range of motion. Post-workout percussive treatment aids in muscle rehabilitation by removing waste products such as lactic acid, which cause pain and stiffness. It is preferable to do percussive therapy on yourself with a massage gun. That way, you will know precisely how much pressure to use and how deeply to massage.
Benefits of Electric Massage Guns
Early research has found numerous significant advantages to employing massage guns for percussive therapy in both pre-and post-workout routines [1]. Below are some potential benefits of using an electric massage:
- Reduced soreness, muscle tension, and pain: Percussive massage therapy can momentarily relieve pain and relax muscle tension. It can also help to lessen delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is what makes you feel sore a day or two after doing exercise. DOMS is a common side effect of intense exercise; it indicates that your activity has injured muscle fibers, and your muscles are now responding to that new tension. Unfortunately, DOMS is a typical reason for missing exercises. If you’re too tired to exercise, the relaxation provided by a massage gun may be just what you need to get back into shape.
- Increased blood circulation: Massage gun stimulation of muscle tissue increases blood flow, sending more critical nutrients into your circulation to help in recovery. Improved circulation helps in the removal of lactic acid (one of the key causes of muscular pain) and the reduction of inflammation in the muscles. Massage gun treatment can also aid in the stimulation of spinal functions and the oxygenation of muscles.
- Improved range of motion: Massage guns have been demonstrated to improve mobility and range of motion after just two five-minute sessions.
- Improved relaxation: You could find that a session of percussion massage after your workout is precisely what you need to relax and feel more at peace. Sit down on a chair or a yoga mat and use the massage gun to work out the knots in your muscles when you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workout.
References:
- Konrad A, Glashüttner C, Reiner MM, Bernsteiner D, Tilp M. The acute effects of a percussive massage treatment with a hypervolt device on plantar flexor muscles’ range of motion and performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(4):690-694.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
