Have you wondered if a massage gun would work for you? Massage guns are used by many people to quickly treat deep muscle pain. Here is our list of the kinds of muscle aches that can benefit from using a massage gun, and our list of 8 ways a massage gun can help you.
WHY USE A MASSAGE GUN
Therapeutic massage eases muscle pain while restoring blood flow. It is beneficial for various types of muscle strain and injury.
EXERCISE-INDUCED MUSCLE INJURY
Athletes and dancers get therapeutic massages to encourage muscle recovery. This kind of Deep muscle massage is helpful for sore muscles, back pain, tension, or stress.
WORK-INDUCED MUSCLE INJURY
Some physically demanding jobs cause repetitive stress injuries. Some examples are nurses, physical therapists, electricians, plumbers, and roofers.
A sedentary job, such as sitting at a computer, also causes muscle strain, especially in the trapezius, shoulders, and neck. These can cause headaches, poor posture, and disrupt restful sleep.
VIDEO CONFERENCE INDUCED MUSCLE INJURY
Since many office meetings and classroom sessions still happen remotely via computer video conferencing, the poor ergonomics of working at a computer impact more people than ever.
If you know your muscles are sore because of poor posture or poor work environment ergonomics, read the post “Keeping Your Spine Healthy While You Work at Home”
Always consult with a doctor if you injure yourself. But if you know your muscle soreness is due to poor ergonomics or exercise-induced soreness, a massage can be beneficial.
8 Reasons to Use a Massage Gun
Don’t have access to a masseuse? Consider a massage gun.
- A massage gun relieves muscle soreness and stiffness.
- A massage gun can speed up recovery
- A massage gun increases blood and lymphatic flow
- A massage gun reaches deeper into the muscle groups than human hands can.
- A massage gun relieves issues with the fascia – deep muscle tissue that can cause a radiating trigger point pain.
- A massage gun is cost-effective. It costs about as much as one professional massage session and a massage gun can be used at any time
- A massage gun is portable and can be used anywhere.
- A massage gun session is very brief: it takes only 10-15 seconds to address each “muscle knot” and a few minutes to treat your whole body. This is all that is necessary to address deep muscle pain
MASSAGE GUN TERMS TO KNOW
Percussion Massage
A massage gun pulses very fast because it has a powerful motor. This type of massage reaches deeper into muscle and tissue than a massage therapist can reach
Fascia
Fascia is the connective tissue around muscles and organs. When fascia is injured, it does not recover as quickly as muscle tissue can. Injured fascia irritates the surrounding muscle and causes discomfort. It is a deep pain that requires deep massage to correct.
Myofascial Pain
Chronic Pain in the fascia that will not correct or return to normal until it is treated by massage, dry needling, or other interventions.
Trigger Point
A trigger point is a muscle knot at a specific point that will not release. A trigger point can cause radiating pain. Trigger point massage can release these muscle knots.
Summary of How to Benefit from Using a Massage Gun
A massage gun eases muscle pain caused by exercise, ergonomics, or strenuous activity. It restores blood flow. It is beneficial for various types of muscle strain and injury including myofascial pain.
Was How to Benefit from Using a Massage Gun useful? Then you may like the good ergonomic advice in Keeping Your Spine Healthy While You Work at Home
References
Renan-ordine R, et al. “Effectiveness of myofascial trigger point manual therapy combined with a self-stretching protocol for the management of plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial.” J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2011;41(2):43-50.
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