Massage guns are getting more and more popular. Especially now, as a growing number of celebrities and fitness gurus are sharing their positive experiences online. Whether you are a professional athlete or weekend gym warrior—muscle pain and soreness is something we all experience. For some, it’s a fact of life. These people work out hard and feel there is no safe solution to their chronic muscle pain. Thankfully, this is not the case.
Massage for Muscle Pain
Manual muscle and tissue massage—specifically deep or “Swedish” massage—has long been known to have a positive impact on athletes and those who are physically active. If you’ve ever gotten a massage after a hard day at the gym or at work, you know the sensation and how much it can help. You can go from being tight, having acute sensations of pain to being fine, and feeling great in a matter of minutes. Few other drugs or therapies seem as effective.
Manual massage is believed to work in several ways, including:
- Loosening and “working out” tight muscles and tissues: By focusing on pain points, massage helps to loosen up tight muscles and tissues that may be causing pain.
- Reducing inflammation: Massage may both directly and indirectly (by stimulating certain cells) help the body reduce inflammation.
- Stimulating mitochondria: By stimulating mitochondria, manual massage may aid the body in muscle recovery and may even improve how the results of professional weightlifters and other serious athletes.
- Stimulating blood flow: By stimulating blood flow to an injured area, manual massage may help reduce pain and accelerate healing.
Why Use Massage Guns
Okay, great. So manual massage works. This is far from breaking news. Many of us are aware that manual massage works, the problem is we don’t have someone to regularly give us massages. Yes, you can go to a professional masseuse, and yes, you can ask your partner to give you a massage. But unless you have a lot of money or a very patient partner, you are not going to want to do either of those options all the time.
This is where a massage gun comes in. By using a high-quality massage gun, you can have all the benefits of a professional massage without the costs, and without the trouble of having to persuade or barter with your busy partner. This is a great, independent way for those who experience regular muscle soreness to take care of themselves in an effective and convenient way.
Can Massage Guns Help With Pain?
The short answer is yes, massage guns can and do help with the pain. Effectively anything a professional masseuse can do for a client, a high-quality massage gun can do too.
Massage guns work to reduce muscle and tissue pain and soreness in the following ways:
- Accelerates recovery & muscle repair: Muscles that recover and repair themselves quicker are more likely to grow larger and stronger. Why? Because if you walk into the gym feeling fresh and recovered every day because you are using a massage gun, you are likely to work harder and for longer than you would if you were constantly sore.
- Activates the nervous system and muscles: By activating your nervous system and muscles, massage guns stimulate pleasure centers and help subside acute pain. This is one of the more fast-acting ways that massage guns work.
- Breaks up scar tissue: Massage guns can also be used to break up scar tissue. Scar tissue can cause pain and inflexibility, which can lead to injuries and more pain.
- Improves lactic acid clearance: Latic acid build-up is one of the primary causes of pain. By helping your body clear lactic acid from your muscles, massage guns lead to a quicker recovery.
- Increases blood and lymphatic flow: Massage guns stimulate blood and lymphatic flow, both of which play a part in muscle recovery and growth.
There you have it, all the ways you can use a massage gun to help reduce your muscle, tissue, and joint pain as well as to increase your gains and make yourself feel better.