Electric Massager Gun

Practical Percussion Therapy Benefits

Apart from the health benefits of massage gun therapy, there are practical reasons why you may want to own one of these devices.

Some of them are:

• You can use a massage gun at home for self-care. Sometimes leaving home for a massage can be a hassle especially when you are not feeling like it or are simply tired. Just rev on your massage gun and get to work on your muscles.
• You can use them on your family or loved one.
• Have a massage on the go. You can carry a massage gun with you anywhere.
• You get direct feedback when massaging yourself. You get to learn about your body as your self-massage. This is highly recommended if you want to achieve a healthy life.

What are the potential cons of massage gun therapy?

OK, so we just discussed some key massage gun benefits, but what about the cons of massage gun therapy?

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.

Here are some cons of massage guns you should be aware of:

Incorrect use

You’ll notice that we have insisted on knowing what you are doing with a massage gun. A massage gun is a tool, and that means it’s only as good as the user. You run the risk of injuring yourself or not getting the desired results. We will discuss proper usage later. Also, don’t forget to read the instructional manual on how to use the device. Always stay on areas of soft tissue. When the head of the gun start to bounce across the surface of your body, it is likely on a bony prominence.

The risk of aggravating injury or other chronic conditions

Apart from the injuries we have listed above, it’s not recommended to use a percussion massager on injuries like sprains, broken bones, or large areas of swelling or bruising. Chronic pain conditions like hypertension, varicose veins, rheumatoid arthritis, and others could become worse if you use a massage gun. Find out from a doctor or therapist about your condition before using a massage gun.

Not great for targeting full muscle bellies in large muscle groups

One final con that we’ll mention briefly is that while massage guns are excellent for targeting specific trigger points at home, it can be cumbersome and impractical to attempt to loosen an entire muscle belly using one, especially if you’re planning to loosen multiple large muscle groups through the body.

As we discussed in our article on massage guns vs foam rollers, the foam roller is a better choice if your plan is to improve mobility or relieve pain over large portions of the body.

Massage guns can be heavy and bulky

Some massage guns can be rather bulky and make using them a tough task. However, there are some that are compact and light. You also have the option of mini guns should the full-sized ones prove too heavy for you. 

High initial price point

This was a problem when these devices had just hit the market, and some of them are still quite expensive. However, we can confirm that with many devices now flooding the market, the prices have gone down quite significantly. We will discuss comparisons in a future article.

General Precautions / Things to Keep in Mind

• Massage guns can cause pain. New onset of pain usually means you are applying too much pressure, or the speed is too high. Check that you are applying just the right pressure based on what area of the body you are massaging.
• Avoid touching nerves. When you feel an electric shock-like pain, stop immediately.
• Do not use a massage gun directly on bony areas, the spine, neck, fractures or wounds.
• Only use them on muscles for complete assured safety. Otherwise consult an expert.
• Do not use a massage gun on an area that has impaired sensation. If you feel you’re not getting precise sensorial feedback, don’t continue massaging that area. Chances are you are doing more damage than repair.
• Do not use massage guns if you are on blood thinners (example: heparin and warfarin) prescription. 
• Seek medical advice first before using a massage gun if you have:
  • An inflammatory disorder
  • Warfarin and heparin prescription
  • Muscle strain, varicose veins, ligament sprain, high blood pressure, and conditions affecting blood vessels like thrombosis.

Why You Should Get the Right Massage Gun

Just like with any other home therapy equipment choice, it goes without saying that different people have different needs. That’s why getting the right gun makes a huge difference, not just in addressing your pain points, but also avoiding injury in the process.

There are a few things that you should know when you go out to buy a massage gun

Battery life: As with any electronic device, battery life is always a concern. This can be circumvented by getting a unit that plugs into a wall, but we’ve found that most home users prefer portable units

Stall force: This is the amount of pressure it takes to stall the motor of a particular gun. The higher the number, the deeper the massage gun can hit. This usually combines with the amplitude.

Amplitude: This is the distance that the massage gun head travels back and forth as it hits the skin in what we call percussions per minute.

The combination of the stall force and the amplitude will often clue you into what the gun can do.

If you have big muscles, then a gun with a higher stall force and longer amplitude will serve you well.

There are other things to look out for such as the percussion range, the number of speed levels, the number of attachments and others that we will discuss at length in future guides.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, the number of massage gun benefits vastly outnumber concerns or disadvantages. For us, however, one of the greatest benefits of percussion massagers is that you get to perform deep tissue therapy on yourself.

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to visit a physical therapist, but you need relief immediately. In that case, individualized therapy is your friend. You can combine passive and active recovery methods (the active recovery being you massaging yourself) to get efficient healing of your muscles and relief from pain.

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.