Massage Gun: What’s it Used For?
Most people would love to pay a visit to their favorite massage therapist every week or every day, but personal massages are expensive and time-consuming. If you’re an athlete or a person that struggles with chronic muscle pain, massage is hugely important, but not always accessible when you need it most. That’s where massage guns come in. These handy little devices provide the improved recovery and healing of massage in the convenience of your home, and they’re highly effective. If you’re interested in purchasing a massage gun, you might be surprised at the many benefits you’ll receive with your purchase.
What is a Massage Gun Used for?
Massage guns are designed to deliver powerful muscle treatment in the places you need it most, helping to enhance performance and recovery and naturally soothing pain. They can also improve muscle strength, flexibility, coordination, and performance in just 30 seconds of use. That all sounds good, of course, but how do massage guns make good on all those claims? The devices use a technology known as percussive therapy, which is sometimes known as vibration therapy. Massage guns send rapid bursts of pressure in the tissues of the muscles while the head of the gun moves back and forth. If you’ve ever seen a video of a massage gun in action, you’re probably familiar with the rippling effect produced on the skin as the gun moves across the surface. That effect is a result of the powerful pressure and moving head working together. Percussive therapy can help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, when used after a workout, helping to reduce pain and tightness, by increasing blood flow to a targeted area of the body. The increased blood flow helps to reduce inflammation and muscle tension and works to dissolve the knots in the muscles that sometimes form from stress, tension, or an intense workout. Massage guns can also be used before a workout in order to help the muscles warm up and engage.
How do Massage Guns Compare to Other Muscle Therapies?
You might be wondering how massage guns compare to other techniques and therapies used to reduce soreness in the muscles and improve performance, like foam rollers and traditional massage. Using a foam roller can be extremely effective, but as anyone who has tried it knows, it’s also painful, uncomfortable, and time consuming. Massage guns can offer the same benefits, delivered in a shorter time frame and with much less discomfort. Massage therapy performed manually uses pressure and strikes from the hands and wrists to improve blood flow to the muscles and remove knots and tension, but it’s also expensive and requires an appointment. Massage guns can provide the same benefits on demand for the one-time cost of purchasing the device, and they can be taken anywhere you go, unlike a massage therapist.
Are Massage Guns Effective?
If massage guns seem too good to be true, think again. The technology has scientific evidence to back up its effectiveness, and new studies are being conducted regularly to learn more about the benefits. A study conducted in 2014 showed that massage and vibration therapy, which are part of percussive therapy, are effective in the prevention of DOMS and can reduce muscle pain and tightness after a workout. Anecdotal evidence from athletes and healthcare practitioners who have used the devices also shows high rates of effectiveness.
If you’re looking to boost your performance, speed up your recovery, and receive the benefits of massage therapy from the comfort of your own home, a massage gun can help deliver the results you’re looking for.
