Bye Bye Body Pain
Did that burpees in your workout give you a sore muscle? Or your body can't stand on its feet after a tiring day at the office? Then, all you need to do is lay back, turn on the machine and whir! Your healing has already started.
Massage guns have been really popular recently, and the secret behind climbing the charts is the numerous benefits they provide. Massage guns not only alleviate your pain but also help in increasing blood flow, making you more free to move around.
The Mechanism
Now, this involves some of your biology class concepts to understand. Massage guns work on the principle of gate control theory of pain; a theory that suggests one can trick the nervous system from perceiving pain by opening the non-painful input to the nervous system . Once that pathway is opened, it will eventually close the nerve gates to the painful input and you won't be able to sense the pain. Massage guns sent direct impulses through the muscles, ensuring that they are of the right frequency. As a result, this deceives your nervous system and makes it work faster on pain.
The Procedure
If you are using a massage gun on your own, then you need to take care of the following:
- Start from the lowest power and then gradually increase. Be careful, as high intensity can hurt especially if your muscle is already sore.
- Though using it on parts where there are fewer muscles and more bony appearances won’t do any severe damage but it can be uncomfortable. Instead use it on glutes, quads, calves, lats, and traps, basically, more muscular parts, will be safer.
- Do not stay at one spot for a long time. Keep on moving your gun, without pressing hard on a single area.
- Say no to “the longer , the better”. Remember this is not a hand-given message but a machine that works with a different mechanism. You don’t need to harm your body by prolonging its use.
What Do The Experts Say?
Massage guns are now being used widely by professionals. Many physiotherapists encourage them to be used before a workout. Their property of improving blood flow helps to provide a good amount of oxygen to your muscles, which can then work effectively during exercise. This also prevents the chances of one having a muscle sprain.
Moreover, according to many clinical studies, massage guns expel the lactic acid that gets accumulated, also lowering its levels of production. This quick build-up of lactic acid leads to acute muscle soreness, a burning sensation that you feel in your muscles after working out. If you can't even walk properly, especially during the first few days of your workout, you are probably experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and massage guns can be your ultimate solution in both the cases.
Besides, using it before or after workout people can also use it after a hectic day. A few minutes of massage will relieve your stress and body pain, making you as fresh as a flower just blown.
Lastly, their time-saving feature is a cherry on the top. Many research studies conclude that the body immediately gets relaxed after a massage session, quoting that 7-8 hours of sleep is equivalent to 60 minutes of massage
To sum it up, massage guns are a very important invention of the century. Simplicity, efficiency, and effectivity: a massage gun has it all. If used properly, they can make you have heaven like moments in your life.