Very few things feel better than a good massage! When you’re feeling aches and pains, tightness or a bad case of muscle soreness, massage can really help to ease out those niggles, reduce stress and make you feel yourself again.
But, not all of us can afford the time or money to see a massage therapist whenever we want to and, for that reason, hand-held massage guns have become an increasingly popular therapy tool to have and use at home.
Massage guns deliver percussion therapy, a clinically proven, safe to use at home treatment for deep muscle relief and the potential benefits of using a massage gun include:
Reducing Muscle Pain and Aches
Probably one of the top reasons why people reach for a massage gun is to reduce muscle soreness, tension and stiffness.
If you’re an athlete or you enjoy regular exercise that can sometimes leave you feeling tight or sore afterwards, it’s recommended that you use your massage gun as soon as possible after you’ve finished your workout. Massage has been proven to help reduce the severity of delayed-onset muscles soreness (or DOMS) brought on by intense exercise. Massage therapy directed towards a sore muscle encourages the muscles and its thousands of fibres to relax and become much less taut.
As we age, regular massage can be hugely beneficial in easing stiffness across the body.
Increasing and Improving Circulation
Massage is a fantastic way to stimulate blood flow around the body. Percussive therapy, which is recreated by the pulsing action on a massage gun, is one of the best ways to improve circulation and increase the levels of oxygen and good nutrients flowing through your system. Higher rates of oxygen and nutrients in the blood are essential for muscle recovery and healing.
With better circulation the body is also better able to flush away the excess lactic acid in the muscles that builds up during exercise, thus speeding up recovery.
Making you More Flexible and Mobile
If you regularly exercise you might suffer from tight hamstrings for example (from running, playing tennis, cycling or lifting weights) which can decrease your ability to, say, touch your toes or bend down to lift things from the ground.
Using a massage gun before you workout or as part of a daily warm up routine can effectively loosen out those tight hamstring muscles. This will give you an easier stride, and can reduce the potential of any injuries associated with tight muscles.
Regardless of exercise, any of us can suffer from tightness in our larger muscle ranges which have a huge impact on posture, movement and mobility. So using the percussive therapy of a massage gun can actively encourage better and looser movement from those muscles.
Better flexibility can be found after just 10 minutes of massage gun use a day.
Reducing Stress
In addition to its calming effects, massage therapy can help alleviate the symptoms of psychological anxiety and using a massage gun at home is equally effective when used for relaxation.
Percussive therapy is excellent at lowering the stress hormone cortisol and studies have shown that it can be reduced by a significant amount (up to 30%) in just one massage session. Having too much cortisol can lead to excess pain, stress levels and a suppressed immune system. Massage flushes out cortisol from the blood flow and replaces it with positive hormone endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. Replacing cortisol with positive hormones decreases stress and increases relaxation.
Massage has been shown to relieve stress levels and improve the wellness of elderly people, many of whom suffer from greater levels of anxiety. It has even been seen to improve patients who suffer from strokes or dementia to feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Improving Sleep
As well as reducing stress and anxiety levels, using a massage gun as part of your bedtime routine can help you nod off quicker and enjoy better, healthier sleep.
By targeting the areas of the body that tend to have built-up tension, like the neck, lower back, forearms, quads, shins, and feet, massage can help to relax and remove any aches or restlessness that appear at night.
Using the lighter pressure setting on your massage gun and targeting those areas for just 30 secs each will activate the parasympathetic nervous system (or the rest and digest system) and promote a good night’s sleep.
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