Whether you're an avid athlete or a regular gym goer, massage guns are becoming an increasingly popular recovery tool. Massage guns are simple devices that use steady and controlled percussion to relieve muscle tension and ease sore muscles.
Improved performance, muscle recovery, and decreased muscle pain are just some of the purported benefits that massage guns have.
Let's take a closer look at what massage guns are all about and how they can help your muscles.
How Does a Massage Gun Work?
Although it might sound a little violent, a massage gun is actually a very helpful tool that can help alleviate sore muscles and aid in recovery.
Massage guns are defined as percussive therapy, or in other words, they use repetitive vibration and pressure to massage soft tissues, mainly your muscles. Massage guns have motors that cause the head to move back and forth in a rapid fashion.
Massage guns all often come with different heads or tips designed to penetrate the various depths of your muscles and to perform specific tasks, as well as the ability to control both the speed and power.
Most units nowadays are wireless, so you don't have to worry about plugging them in, therefore making them quite portable.
Massage Gun Benefits
Now that we've figured out what a massage gun is, let's take a closer look at all of the different benefits that you can reap by using one.
It Improves Circulation
Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a massage gun is that it helps to improve circulation. By applying both vibration and percussion to your muscles, it helps to increase the blood flow or circulation throughout your body.
Most studies performed up until this point have been focused on whole-body vibration, but the results are quite promising as far as massage guns are concerned. Increasing blood flow or circulation is the main benefit, and in fact, it is what leads to virtually all of the other benefits that you can reap from using a massage gun.
Improved Flexibility
There is some research which indicates that the use of massage guns and massage therapy can help to increase flexibility.
Moreover, as you'll see further below, massage guns may also help to improve muscle recovery and reduce both muscle tension and soreness, which in both the short and long run can also help improve overall athletic performance.
Easing Muscle Soreness
After you exercise, you will probably suffer from something known as DOMS or delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Through a variety of mechanisms, such as by improving blood flow and helping various substances work their way out of your body, such as the lactic acid in your muscles, massage guns can help reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness.
In other words, using a massage gun can help decrease muscle soreness after a heavy workout.
Decreasing Muscle Recovery Time
As mentioned above, one of the biggest benefits that you get from using a massage gun is that it helps to decrease muscle recovery time.
By stimulating blood flow, your muscles end up getting more oxygen and protein, the substances they need to heal properly and grow after a workout session.
Furthermore, muscles also take some time to recover due to a buildup of lactic acid, which is something that a massage gun can certainly help with.
How to Use a Massage Gun Properly
We strongly recommend that if you are planning to use a massage gun or any other kind of percussive therapy, you first speak to a massage therapist, physical therapist, or any other kind of sports doctor to ensure that you are using it properly. The fact of the matter is that many people use massage guns improperly, and this can end up causing more damage than anything else.
Proper Placement
First and foremost, never use a massage gun on your bones. Your bones don't need massaging, and all you will do is cause yourself long-lasting pain and bruising. Also avoid your joints, such as knees and elbows. Instead, massage guns should be focused on soft tissue only, or in other words, your muscles.
However, keep in mind that using a massage gun on your neck can be somewhat dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, so this is best avoided. If you do plan on using a massage gun on your neck muscles, make sure to use the appropriate attachment, and turn the speed down to low.
Time Spent
A big mistake that many people make is to think that more is automatically better, but this isn't the case. It's recommended that each muscle group or muscle should not be targeted with a massage gun for more than 15 seconds at a time, up to three times daily.
If you use a massage gun more than that, you run the risk of causing more injuries and harm than good. It's easy to overwork a single spot, which can lead it to becoming even more tender, and may even lead to possible bruising.
Pressure Applied
As for the pressure that you want to apply, this is somewhat subjective, as some people might be able to handle more than others. However, the bottom line is that if you feel extreme pain, you should lighten up.
Yes, if you already have sore muscles, you might feel a little bit of pain when using a massage gun, which is normal. However, if the pain is severe or even unbearable, then move on to a different muscle group. If the pain persists, you may want to seek medical help.
Instructions on How to Use a Massage Gun
Follow the simple steps listed below to use your massage gun.
- Identify the muscle or group of muscles that are in pain, which you want to target.
- Find a comfortable position, preferably seated, with your back upright.
- Turn the massage gun on to its lowest setting, and gently move it across the desired muscles or area.
- If the pressure and speed are too low, you can turn them up.
- Do not spend more than 15 seconds on the same muscle group at a time.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, massage guns have many different benefits for the human body, mainly in relation to muscle recovery and athletic performance.
If you are someone who often goes to the gym or is physically active, resulting in muscle soreness, investing in a good massage gun might be right for you.