Massage guns are one of the recent innovations made for the muscle recovery process and since its invention in 2008, it has grown to become a favorite tool for many athletes in the world looking to take charge of their muscle therapy and recovery process.
A massage gun is known to offer the same results as a deep tissue massage. The beauty of this is that you can get all the benefits within minutes in your most convenient time while following your schedule. It makes it easier for most people to manage their health, whether they are in sports or they are just fitness lovers.
These massage guns have been in high demand in recent years, which can only be traced to the many benefits they have to offer, from relieving aches and pain to increased blood circulation among others. Worthy of note is that it also helps shorten recovery time while it does all of these.
Below are the top 10 benefits of a massage gun that you should know:
1. Sports Performance, Injury Prevention, and Recovery
Percussive massage provided by a massage gun helps improve the muscle contraction, which results in the lengthening and strengthening of the muscles and fascial tissues. Making massage therapy part of your lifestyle and post-workout routine is a great way to relieve stress. The main purpose of a massage is to help relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body, which would help shorten the muscle recovery time between workouts, as toxic debris are constantly being eliminated to allow the muscles bounce back within the shortest possible time.
For every deep tissue massage with the massage guns, fluids and tension are released within the deep muscles and this results in improved circulation, as the blood and tissue cells exchange substances which help boost tissue metabolism. The supply of nutrients and oxygen is also improved due to the massage, therefore increasing blood circulation throughout the body. It also helps prevent overtraining due to the sedating effect it has on the nervous system. It heals and prevents injuries, as the improved circulation helps break down adhesions and the increased production of nutrients and fluids could help with quick tissue repair.
Sports performance is also improved, as the massage guns help increase power and performance, which makes the muscles more flexible and efficient.
2. Advanced Vibrational Healing & Powerful Pain Relief
Vibrational healing is a form of healing that is based on vibrations and subtle energies, without any dependence on other systems of healing. It is based on each person’s unique energy field and is known to be efficient. Interestingly, a massage gun provides this same benefit, as it delivers vibrations deep into the muscle by using the “percussive therapy” technique. The vibrations from the massage help improve blood and lymph circulation around the body, which helps produce more oxygen and nutrients into the muscles. The result of this is speedy recovery, improved range of motion, pain relief and relieving muscle fatigue and soreness. Pain in the neck, shoulders and lower back can easily be relieved with the advanced vibrating effect from massage guns.
3. Rehabilitation
Massage is known to be one of the most effective forms of injury rehabilitation therapy, as it not only speeds up the recovery process but also prevents re-injury. Massage guns work as a supplement to the standard injury rehabilitation process and encourage healing and recovery of atrophied muscles due to trauma or disease. Improved circulation into the muscles and fascial tissues helps the injured areas to become more flexible and heal within a short time.
4. Release Lactic Acid
Lactic acid forms when the oxygen levels in the body are low and the body begins to compensate for it by converting newly formed lactate into energy. This often happens during intense exercise and the lactic acid tends to build up in the bloodstream faster than it can burn off. This could make you feel exhausted, nauseated and have cramp feelings in your muscles. A massage gun can reverse this, as it helps the release of lactic acid and other toxins from the muscles to surrounding tissues. This will help reduce the risk of muscle soreness that often comes after a prolonged exertion due to lactic acid accumulation.
5. Increases Blood and Lymphatic Flow
Massage guns provide deep tissue massage, which increases the rate of blood flow and stimulates the nerve receptors responsible for dilating blood vessels. The lymph works to remove waste and toxins from the bodily tissues and the flow is controlled by muscle contractions; this means less active people might not be stimulating enough lymph circulation while very active people might be accumulating too much of it. This could result in lymphedema if not controlled. However, with a massage gun, you can create a balance, as it helps improve circulation throughout the lymphatic system.
6. Activates the Nervous System and Muscles
The nervous system stimulates and regulates the activity of the muscles and maintains the body’s homeostasis. For every activity on the muscles, the nervous system gets notified. Massage guns help stimulate the receptors of the sympathetic nervous system, which causes vasodilation in the skin and muscles, thereby releasing tension and helping the muscles relax while improving mobility.
7. Relieves Muscle Spasms and Stiffness
Massage guns can help relieve muscle spasms and stiffness that may arise from an intense workout. The muscle spasm often leads to ischemia in the muscles, which means the muscle is lacking proper blood flow. This could result in spasms that are painful to the touch. The massage gun works by applying pressure to the muscle, tendons, and ligaments to help them become relaxed, thereby reducing spasms and painful contractions
8. Breaks up Scar Tissue
Scar tissue is made up of collagen fibers that help with the repair of damaged fibers in the body. However, the elasticity of the tissues does not measure up with the natural muscle tissues of the body. Massage guns provide deep tissue massage, which will help break down these scar tissues, thereby alleviating pain and relieving restriction. You can use massage guns not only for sports injuries but also for post-surgery scar tissues.
9. Enhance Range of Motion Quickly
Massage guns work on the muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and joints, all of which work together to aid mobility. With the consistent use of massage guns, the joints will be more flexible and less prone to strains and sprains. The relaxed muscles and fascial tissue and improved blood circulation work together to improve flexibility and range of motion of the body. Improved range of motion would then result in added advantages like enhancing athletic performance and improved stimulation of the body’s natural lubricants to help keep the body flexible.
10. Wellness Benefits
There are many other health benefits of massage guns apart from relaxing the muscles and alleviating pain. This includes increased mobility, improved sleep, and improved immunity. It is also helpful for depression and anxiety, fibromyalgia, digestive disorders, and stress-related insomnia.
Conclusion
We all get stressed from daily life activities. However, failure to manage this stress properly could hurt your health over time. A massage gun could be a hack to successfully managing stress within the shortest possible time and in the most convenient way while getting the many other benefits attached to it.