Whether you heard about massage guns from your favorite fitness guru or mesmerizing slow-motion videos on social media, or you heard about them from your friend who’s always trying the latest and greatest recovery tools, chances are you’ve heard of them! You’re wrong, however, if you think these are just the latest fitness trend that will pass away in a year or two. There’s more to muscle massagers than viral videos; they are a helpful tool that can help prevent injuries and speed recovery.
Is massage gun used for what?
Most people cannot afford daily massages to get rid of their knots and soreness, although massages have long been known for their beneficial effects for recovery. The use of massage guns and percussion therapy has become wildly popular over the past few years. The handheld devices repeatedly pound your muscles, resulting in a faster recovery. Studies have shown that vibration therapy can help you recover faster from a workout so that you can get back to exercising. Furthermore, studies have shown that vibration therapy helps prevent muscle damage when it is applied before a workout.
Therabody’s founder and chief wellness officer, Dr. Jason Wersland, counters that percussive therapy is not the same as vibration therapy. People should know the difference between vibrations and percussions. The body responds differently to each,” he says. “Theragun pioneered Theragun pioneered percussive therapy, a method that activates the body deeper and more effectively.
In an interview with ActiveCare Physical Therapy in New York, Dr. Karena Wu explains how this therapy works. “The rapid percussion works to pump fluid into the affected area and get it moving. A massage as a whole is “irritant” to the muscles, which is meant to increase blood flow. The massage gun gets used first if there is a lot of surface area to cover or if the patient requires a quick warming up of the tissues.
Is it true that massage guns work?
Physiatrist Donald Zerio explains that massage guns are just like the foam rollers that you’re used to using in rehab. He says, “It works just like foam rolling.” “It is another soft tissue mobilization method. It loosens tight muscles, which results in immediate relief and a short-term increase in flexibility.”
Massage guns: how to use them
As well as helping with recovery and pre-workout, Ashley Rozek, physical therapist and clinical director at Spear, says muscle massage guns are a great tool. You might want to seek professional assistance to make the best use of them. Physical therapists can teach you how to use the gun safely and effectively on your body so you can use it at home.
Rozek agrees with Zerios statement that you must know how to use your massage gun properly. He explains, “It takes some skill to do it, and if you aren’t careful, you can injure yourself.”. Physical therapists teach their clients how to use their massage guns correctly to work on specific muscle groups using different percussion heads.