{"id":30233,"date":"2023-06-25T05:31:27","date_gmt":"2023-06-25T05:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielsmarketingblc.com\/CuratedProducts\/?p=30233"},"modified":"2023-06-25T05:31:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-25T05:31:28","slug":"what-do-massage-guns-do-latest-research-explains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielsmarketingblc.com\/CuratedProducts\/2023\/06\/25\/what-do-massage-guns-do-latest-research-explains\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Massage Guns Do? Latest Research Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I<\/span>\u2019m sure by now that you just\u2019ve heard of, seen or maybe even own a Theragun<\/a> or some offshoot of it made by a distinct company, generally known as \u201cmassage guns<\/a>.\u201d These recovery tools were initially the domain of elite athletes (as latest devices are likely to be expensive, and money is a small price to pay for a possible competitive advantage) but have slowly filtered out into most of the people.<\/div>\n

But what do they do, and are they really effective? A brand new systematic review of the research on massage guns<\/a> may hold some answers.<\/p>\n

How massage guns work<\/h2>\n

\u201cThese \u2018massage guns\u2019 are a type of what\u2019s called percussive treatment, which delivers mechanical vibration\u2014on this case the pinnacle of the massage gun delivering repeated contacts\u2014to muscles or tendons,\u201d says physical therapist Andy Barr, DPT<\/a><\/p>\n

In case you\u2019ve ever had a massage where the masseuse uses a cupped hand technique with quick, repeated contacts (this is known as \u201ctapotement massage<\/a>\u201d), it\u2019s the identical principle. Chances are you’ll be surprised to learn that percussive treatment delivered through an instrument was first invented within the Nineteen Fifties!<\/p>\n

Dr. Barr, who works with elite athletes and has been within the skilled sports health and performance space for over 25 years, has recently seen a stark increase in the usage of massage guns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s for player recovery or if it\u2019s for performance\u2014to enhance a warm-up prior to the sport or keep players \u2018warm\u2019 while they\u2019re resting\u2014many teams and players use these massage guns continuously. The continued development and portability of the tool have made it even easier to make use of.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The latter point has made the usage of massage guns viable for big swaths of the population as well: The yearly revenue on massage guns<\/a> is reportedly over 550 million dollars and growing.<\/p>\n

Must you use one? It will depend on your goals<\/h2>\n

The research on the effectiveness of massage guns up thus far had been relatively mixed, but that tends to be the case with any latest device. Nevertheless, there was a brand new high-quality systematic review<\/a> released that reviewed multiple studies the impact of massage guns on pain and athletic performance.<\/p>\n

The outcomes were quite interesting across multiple domains. The systematic review\u2014which checked out 13 different papers\u2014found that use of a massage gun resulted in improving multiple features of athletic performance together with recovery as well.<\/p>\n

Specifically, a single use of a massage gun resulted in increasing muscle strength (particularly within the upper body) and increasing explosive muscle strength (think fast, powerful movements like sprinting). With multiple and consistent uses of a massage gun, the study found that muscular pain might be reduced as well, especially for decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness<\/a> (DOMS) 48 hours after difficult workouts.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the study further found that the usage of a massage gun had no overt change on flexibility. But<\/em> nearly all of studies that found a decrease in pain also found an improvement in flexibility, so there could also be some nebulous connection there!<\/p>\n

Based on this latest, promising evidence, how do you have to be using a massage gun to optimize your recovery and athletic performance? For recovery and reducing pain, use the massage gun consistently after exercise and\/or athletic competitions, as much as 72 hours post activity. For athletic performance, use the massage gun immediately prior to the activity, whether it\u2019s strength training or athletic activities.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind: If flexibility is your predominant objective, a massage gun isn\u2019t the perfect use of your time. The very best research-driven method there continues to be dynamic stretching<\/a> and eccentric strength training<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n