A percussive massage gun uses vibrations to warm your muscle tissue and increase blood flow to target areas. You apply it to sore spots, and — boom, boom, boom! — its rapid-strike action gets to work.
Yes, massage guns can be helpful in many ways. They can help reduce muscle tension and soreness, increase range of motion, reduce lactic acid build up in the muscles, improve oxygenation in the muscles, reduce pain and swelling in the joints associated with arthritis, and improve circulation.
Massage helps to relieve pain by interfering with the body's pain signal pathways, releasing endorphins and providing muscle relaxation. Massage interferes with the body's pain signal pathways so that the brain does not register pain. Massage also helps reduce pain by stimulating the release of hormones.
A massage gun repeatedly loosens the knots, improving blood supply and decreasing inflammation and tension in joints and muscles. Improved blood circulation means more blood and oxygen for the affected muscle parts, relaxing them and breaking up the troubling muscles' knots.
Lactic acid builds up in your muscles after exercise or other activity. This build-up often causes pain and soreness. When you use a massage gun after a workout, the percussion forces muscle fibers to release lactic acid, reducing the soreness you'll feel.
It vibrates to help blood, oxygen and nutrients flow into the muscles, which can promote healing and faster recovery after a workout. Massage guns can also break up the tissue around the muscles (muscle fascia). This tissue can tighten up when it's stressed, which can lead to muscle stiffness or soreness.
Massage therapy techniques can help to relieve, reduce or even prevent muscle knots. Deep tissue massage or sports massage techniques work on the muscles that are tight or have the knots. Trigger point massage can be firm and specific pressure to the areas of restriction or “knots” and cause release of that knot.
Massage guns help to get rid of those toxins, which promotes quicker muscle recovery. Massage guns are beneficial when you use them on yourself. Yes, you could have a trainer do it for you, but by using them on yourself, you will know exactly where your trouble areas are, and you can help your healing that much better.
Can a massage gun break down fat? The short answer is NO. There is no reliable evidence that shows massage guns can break down fat cells on their own. However…
It's a post-pain rush similar to the high of morphine or heroin, which also bind to the brain's opioid receptors. Meanwhile, the pain of intense exercise also causes a spike in another of the body's painkillers, anandamide.
When you massage a knot, it often feels like you are stretching a rope or taffy which is stuck in your muscle tissues. This may be a result of increased blood flow to the site of tension, but it also may be due to the relaxation of the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles (called fascia).
Some soreness after a massage is normal and can be a sign that the massage has been effective. However, it is important to communicate with your massage therapist about your discomfort and to follow their recommendations for post-massage care, such as drinking plenty of water and doing light stretches.
Do not use a massage gun: If you have a chronic condition like diabetes, iron deficiency, kidney disease, blood clotting disease, or any other condition that may make it easier to damage your cells.
The chemical release caused by rubbing the skin plays a significant role in easing your pain. When the therapist places pressure on your skin, it stimulates the vagus nerve. This sensory nerve releases a chemical cocktail of wellness into your bloodstream.
Cellulite is a common problem for many women; however, there are ways to combat it. Massage guns use vibration technology to increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage in your skin, which may help reduce the appearance of cellulite. It's important to note that percussion therapy is not a guaranteed long term solution.
There are downsides to massage guns, including the risk of aggravating injuries or other chronic injuries. This risk is increased if the individual is using the massage gun incorrectly. These risks can be remedied through training on the proper use of massage guns.
By releasing a variety of toxins — from metabolic wastes like lactic acid and urea to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline — massage provides a plethora of health benefits that extend well beyond simple relaxation.
While it's not common, some people may experience brain fog or difficulty concentrating after a massage. This can be due to the deep state of relaxation that massage can induce, which can make it harder to focus or think clearly.
This myofascial release has a comparable sensation to being rocked by your mother when you were a baby. It causes a pleasant wave sensation to travel throughout the body. It is, in fact, a relaxing experience. That wave infiltrates the restricted areas to allow for softening.
Potential Causes of Crunchy Muscles
These knots are areas of muscle fibers that have become tightly contracted and can feel like small, firm lumps within the muscle. When you press on them or move the muscle, they might produce a sensation akin to crunchiness.
To manage delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS): Using a lower setting for up to two minutes on sore muscles can provide temporary relief of DOMS. To relieve tight muscles: Using a massage gun for 1-2 minutes can help to relieve tight muscles after sleeping, sitting, or performing everyday tasks.
Ways to Relieve Fascia Pain
There are various strategies that work to loosen up painful knots, such as: Heat therapy: Apply a heating pad to the affected area or take a warm shower or bath. Yoga therapy: See a highly trained yoga therapist to get a regimen of yoga poses targeted to treat your area of pain.
After your provider performs myofascial release therapy, you may feel sore in the areas they stretched. But the soreness should go away fairly quickly. You should feel a lot looser in those areas than you did before.