Whether you’re a marathon runner, an avid cyclist, someone who likes to take brisk walks every day, or someone who has a physically demanding job, chances are good that you experience some pain in your muscles and joints from time to time.
Massage gun users claim to have gotten relief from exercise and activity pains without any negative consequences, just with a few minutes of percussion therapy from these gadgets.
So, do these guns work? If so, how does a Muscle Vibration Gun compare to traditional methods of alleviating pain? And how can you use them properly? Keep reading and learn everything!
How Effective Are Massage Guns For Relieving Exercise And Activity Pains?
Massage guns are a unique type of massage tool initially created as an alternative to traditional methods for managing pain. The device’s inventor, a chiropractor who sustained injuries in his bike accident and found himself struggling with chronic pain afterward, felt that a more holistic approach was needed for proper and complete recovery. Hence, he turned towards percussive therapy, which has provided relief where traditional methods failed him!
Sooting Soft Tissue Massage:
It is a form of soft tissue massage that uses vibrations to help with muscle pain and recovery. It can soothe aches, sore muscle knots, or tension you may be experiencing in your body.
Cleanses Out Lactic Acid Build-Up In Muscles:
Percussive therapy has been shown to help prevent the soreness you experience from lactic acid byproducts that can build up during intense workout sessions or when you push your body beyond its usual limits.
Faster Recovery Time From DOMS:
These Muscle Vibration Gun aided massages can help you recover from your workout faster by increasing muscle temperature, blood flow, and nerve stimulation. As a result, it prevents delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Relaxes Muscles And Aids Sleep:
If you constantly go to sleep with aches and pains, you are not getting a good night’s rest. A massage gun aids in relieving stress and makes you feel more relaxed. So, the next time you feel stressed out or tense, try adding some relaxation with a massage gun. The soothing effects will make it easier for your body to go into sleep mode and get rid of all those muscle aches!
How To Properly Use A Massage Gun For Exercise And Activity Pains?
The massage gun will likely come with multiple settings, speeds, and interchangeable heads. The largest attachment goes on larger muscles. In contrast, smaller ones are used on small tender regions in your body, such as those accessory muscle groups located nearby sensitive spots where injury often occurs during physical activity.
Step#1:
The first step to targeting sore muscles is identifying the areas on your body that feel tight or painful. Next, make sure there are no open wounds, irritation, and/or inflammation in this general region. Finally, keep in mind that before starting up the massage gun, you must search for the areas with dense muscle mass and the least amount of bone protuberance!
Step#2:
When you use a massage gun, paying attention and being mindful of what your body tells you is important. If there are signs like increased pain or irritation, then this could indicate that the setting has been too intense.
Start at a lower setting if all appears well, and gradually increase your speed and percussion intensity while watching out just in case anything goes wrong.
Step#3:
Stretching before or after using the device can help relieve muscle aches and pains, increasing blood flow throughout your body as you focus on those areas with high concentrations of muscle tissue: neck, back, shoulders, and legs!
When it comes to your massage routine, you should keep in mind that certain muscles build up lactic acid and other byproducts. Your gun shouldn’t be used for too long at once because this can cause fatigue in the affected area! Use only short sessions with limited time spent working over any particular region, say about 15 to 30 seconds per region at a time.
Places To Avoid:
Massage guns are great for massaging sore muscles but can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Therefore, you should avoid using it in any of the following areas:
- The massage gun is not a tool to be used on areas with cuts or rashes since it could cause further irritation.
- Avoid using the massage gun on areas where you have an injury, torn muscle, or pain because it could cause further damage and increase swelling in those spots, which would make things even worse!
- Do not use a massage gun on a body area on your body.
- Avoid using it on the front of your neck, bicep tendon, spine, great trochanter, kidneys, first rib, areas around the carotid artery, elbows, ankles, and knees.
Conclusion:
Massage guns can help cleanse muscles of lactic acid build-up, speed up the recovery time from DOMS, improve sleep quality, and relax tense muscles. Although a Muscle Vibration Gun is not a cure-all, it is an effective tool for helping to relieve common exercise and activity pains.