Looking for a fast and efficient option to ease muscle soreness from a tricky exercise? Percussive remedy weapons (or therapeutic massage weapons) mimic the putting maneuvers that therapeutic massage therapists use to interrupt up knots inside muscle tissue. They’re straightforward to make use of for your sore muscular tissues and may get you again to your exercises sooner.
“My best advice is to start trying to use one,” says Carlos Teasdale, ATC, CSCS. “Once you do, I promise it will become a staple in your home and workout routine.”
Read on to study extra about percussive remedy units and which of them are the very best available on the market.
What Is Percussive Therapy?
Percussive remedy, also called vibrational remedy, supplies speedy bursts of vitality into the muscular tissues with a therapeutic massage gun that oscillates up and down.
“As an athletic trainer, I find vibration to help improve awareness and activation of the muscles you’re using it on,” says Teasdale. “I also find massage guns to have some analgesic [pain-relieving] effects.”
Teasdale mentions that percussive remedy lessens ache by growing blood movement to the sore areas of the physique, which might present the next advantages:
- Reduce irritation
- Alleviate muscle stress
- Break up adhesions in delicate tissue
Percussive therapeutic massage additionally acts as a lightweight stretch for sore muscular tissues, which improves restoration time. You may even use percussive remedy to heat up muscular tissues earlier than a exercise, Teasdale provides. (But don’t use it as your solely warm-up.)
Are Percussive Therapy Massage Guns Safe?
Absolutely! But Teasdale recommends following the following tips:
- Use them on delicate tissue solely. “You should avoid bones as a rule of thumb, so never put pressure anywhere that is mainly bone,” Teasdale says.
- If you’re new to percussive remedy, go gradual, then improve energy. Similar to any myofascial therapeutic massage (resembling cupping or foam rolling), you should ease into it to construct a tolerance. If you give attention to one space for too lengthy earlier than you might be used to the machine’s dynamic, it might trigger bruising, so transfer your therapeutic massage gun gently round tight muscular tissues.
- Avoid delicate areas along with your therapeutic massage gun just like the face and head. During being pregnant, at all times keep away from the abdomen space. Teasdale additionally cautions to keep away from any swollen areas and give attention to the tissue above or beneath the swelling as a substitute.
If you might have a pre-existing situation, Teasdale suggests consulting your doctor or bodily therapist earlier than utilizing a percussive remedy therapeutic massage gun.
Should I Use Percussive Therapy?
Percussive remedy by way of therapeutic massage weapons is common as a result of it affords a streamlined answer to interrupt up pesky knots in your physique. However, you may get probably the most out of your therapeutic massage time by utilizing it along side different restoration methods.
“Combining modalities is always a great way to improve your recovery,” explains Teasdale. “Try foam rolling, stretching, and then massage-gun the areas you can’t get with the foam roller. Then stretch some more.”
Recent research present that therapeutic massage weapons lower muscle soreness restoration instances for athletes. They are additionally protected to make use of for rehabilitation sufferers that suffer from trauma or surgical procedure as a result of they assist strengthen the weakened muscular tissues.