How To Use A Massage Gun- According To The Research

There has been a lot of hype in recent years over massage guns. There are the big names like Theragun and Hypervolt, and then all of the other ones in between that, you can find on Amazon. The device seems simple, something that moves up and down really fast and has some sort of attachment on the end. But what happens within our bodies when we use them? When is the best time to use them? Is there a reason why it feels so good on your sore and tight muscles?

According to the research, the proper use of a massage gun is for pre-workout or pre-activity, or post-injury in a clinical/home setting (1). This literature review found studies that used the massage gun for 5 minutes over a specific area of muscle to increase the range of motion of the surrounding joints (1,2). It has also been found that massage after strenuous activity is designed to recover a muscle's performance capability faster than rest alone (3). This is ideal for pre-activity as it allows our muscles to loosen up and increase our range of motion in order to perform tasks fully!

There are 3 ways massage guns interact with our bodies.

• Vibration

• Blood Flow

• Muscle Relaxation

The first way is by vibration. This is done by the tonic vibration reflex found within the muscle spindles (3). Due to the percussive impact, the muscle is stretched periodically and the muscle's response is to contract, relieving the stretch (3). The second way is by blood flow. When exercising moderately, there is friction in your blood vessels when blood cells are flowing through is called laminar sheer stress, which releases nitric oxide (3). When nitric oxide is produced, it increases the diameter of the blood vessels, allowing for increased blood flow. When low-frequency vibration is applied externally by a massage gun, it can produce the same sheer forces on the blood vessels as moderate exercise, producing nitric oxide and thus increasing blood flow (3). The third way is by causing muscle relaxation. Vibration applied to the muscles causes an interaction with your nervous system (3). We have a part of our nervous system that turns on with vibration, and when stimulated can increase muscle elongation (3). Essentially, it overloads the nervous system with stimulation so that it has to relax the muscles targeted with the massage gun!

How do you use a massage gun? Overall it is good to use a massage gun when you are sore after a workout or before a workout to increase your range of motion. They work by interacting with your nervous system and by increasing blood flow. Try it out next time you are sore or, if you were on the fence about buying one, I hope this can help your decision!

1. Martin, J. (2021). A critical evaluation of percussion massage gun devices as a rehabilitation tool focusing on lower limb mobility: A literature review. https://doi.org/10.31236/osf.io/j9ya8

2. Konrad A, Glashüttner C, Reiner MM, Bernsteiner D, Tilp M. The Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment with a Hypervolt Device on Plantar Flexor Muscles' Range of Motion and Performance. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Nov 19;19(4):690-694. PMID: 33239942; PMCID: PMC7675623.

3. Lakhwani, M., & Phansopkar, P. (2021). Efficacy of Percussive Massage versus Calf Stretching on Pain, Range of Motion, Muscle Strength and Functional Outcomes in Patients with Plantar Fasciitis–A Research Protocol. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 532-39.