If you are a fitness freak, workout enthusiast, or person who loves taking massages, you must have seen the ads for massage guns popping up on the internet.
A massage gun is a tool that applies pressure to the part of your back that is hurting. These handy little guns have taken over social media, and everyone is talking about them.
However, people are still confused about its usage, technical details, and safety concerns. Internet searches and Quora are also loaded with questions. Are massage guns good for you? Are massage guns safe? Can massage guns be harmful?
In this article, you’ll have all your answers about massage guns and the details that massage gun companies don’t generally tell people. (Shhh... It’s a secret!)
Here’s what you’ll learn in this article;
- The Stardom of Massage Guns
- The Truth Behind Massage Guns
- Damaged Blood Vessels
- Fractures
- Any Kind Of Inflammation
- Nerve Sensitivity
- Damaged Muscle Fibers
- Sprains
- Strains
- Are They Bad For You?
- Back Pain Reliever Belt
The Stardom of Massage Guns
Massage has been one of the most calming, relaxing, and comforting methods to relieve stress, strain, and body pain. Professional athletes use these guns for warm-up and physical recovery. [1]
The reason behind the fame of massage guns is the promise of calming possibilities and smoothness, as an automatic gun now delivers manual massage. Its handy design and easy-to-use features make it more irresistible and desirable. It looks like a drill gun, but cooler! It works by applying pressure to the area where you feel the most pain, tightness, or soreness. The gun then generates a vibratory effect, providing a deep-tissue massage.
However, for some, a massage gun seems like a conflict in general. It looks like an ultimatum, as if it is some kind of gun. These people are still concerned and wonder whether deep tissue massage guns are safe for them.
The Truth Behind Massage Guns
In some situations, massage guns are very beneficial and soothing, but they can also be dangerous. They can lead to dangerous outcomes, especially when they are used mistakenly. They might even make your condition worse and have a bad effect on the targeted and nearby areas, like your internal organs, muscles, veins, tendons, etc. The following are reasons why using a massage gun every day is bad, as well as situations where we advise against using massage guns because they can worsen the situation. Read below to find out!
Damage Blood Vessels
It may be a good idea to relax your muscles after a workout with a massage gun. However, if you feel your blood vessels are damaged by an overworkout or any other activity, using a massage gun is the worst decision you can ever make.
Massage guns work by applying extra pressure, but extreme pressure may damage your blood vessels. Such circumstances will cause bruises and marks on the skin and can also invite a great deal of pain.
Fractures
Is a massage gun good for you if you have a fracture? No, you shouldn’t use a massage gun on broken bones or anywhere near them. Massage guns shouldn't be used by those who have fractures because the vibration of the devices can harm broken bones. You should avoid exposing your fragile bone to this device if you are recovering from a fracture.
Any Kind of Inflammation
You should not think of using a massage gun on an injury. Because inflammation often accompanies injuries, and a massage gun can exacerbate it, inflammation is why injuries often result in inflammation. By vibrating the muscles, a massager gun will amplify the inflammation and make the muscles more brittle and exhausted, resulting in pain. In simple words, it will make the injury’s healing process slow, worsen muscular discomfort, and increase inflammation.
Nerve Sensitivity
Massage puts extra pressure on the targeted area, affecting the nerves surrounding it. Those nerves will experience excessive pressure, which will lead to more sensitivity. They can make you feel more than you usually do without using a massage gun because your nerves will become more sensitive and send stronger pain signals to the brain than usual.
Damaged Muscle Fibers
Even though the cells in your muscles are very strong, they are still not made to withstand sudden impacts. Massage provides a hammering sensation that can damage muscle fibers. Using a massage gun can result in increased muscle stress, muscle strains, and, ultimately, rhabdomyolysis.
Muscle Strains
Muscle strains can occur by stretching the muscle beyond its flexibility. You might want to reach out for a massage gun after a heavy workout to treat your back muscle strain, but you might be confused about whether massage guns are good for back pain and strains. The massage gun will put more pressure on it because of the continuous, sudden, and improper hammering sensations, leading to muscle tears. So, no! You shouldn’t even think about it!
Sciatica and Arthritis
Massage gun companies claim that these guns will increase blood circulation and relieve pain in sciatica and arthritis patients. But are massage guns good for sciatica and arthritis? These massage guns can be used as a temporary pain reliever to boost blood circulation. However, you shouldn’t use it without consulting your doctor because the increased circulation can sometimes do more damage than good.
Should I Use a Massage Gun?
The collective answer to the question, "Is a massage gun good for you or should you use it?" is NO! Because improper massage gun usage can cause harm to veins, nerves, bones, muscles, tendons, etc. A massage gun can only be of good use if it's in the hands of a skilled practitioner. Others will always be on the verge of injury.
It's only the marketing strategies that make people think that percussion massage and massage guns are magical pain-relieving tools for shoulder strains, back pain, and others. However, they aren’t as good as the marketing visuals suggest. Many marketing claims you’ll read are false, and they mold the truth and misrepresent science to support their authenticity for better sales and popularity.
However, there are other suitable and genuine options available if you have a muscle strain, a tightened muscle, or any type of back pain.
What to Do Instead?
Other than massage guns, there are other alternatives that are far safer and more effective, such as the SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System Belt.
The SUPMOGO belt has Advanced Targeting Technology designed to target your aching muscles and tendons and provide instant relief from pain and discomfort. This belt utilizes one-of-a-kind water-activated EMS technology that uses the minerals from water and your body to transmit safe, effective, and gentle currents to sore muscles to minimize pain and discomfort.
The SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System Belt has a discreet design and can be effortlessly worn under your clothes. The belt comes equipped with LED covers, making it perfect for wearing at the office, to the park, to the gym, and even when you're going on vacation!
The best part is that even the most difficult workout can be done while wearing it because it is so lightweight and perfectly fits your body! There is no need to wait until the end of the workday to receive the pain-relieving benefits or to carry around your heavy massage gun.
SUPMOGO is your go-to fitness wearable belt that relieves back pain, strengthens your core, and speeds up your metabolism to help you burn calories!
Final Takeaway!
If you are here to clear conflicts about whether massage guns are good for you, then the answer is absolutely not! It can lead to damaging blood vessels and muscle fibers, worsening fractures, increasing inflammation and nerve sensitivity, and causing muscle strains.
After knowing everything about massage guns, the decision is yours to buy them or not. Take our advice instead, and choose another efficient and secure alternative like the SUPMOGO belt.
- Chen, J., Zhang, F., Chen, H., & Pan, H. (2021). Rhabdomyolysis after the use of percussion massage gun: a case report. Physical Therapy, 101(1), pzaa199.