What is a percussion massager and is it really a must-have for athletes

What is a percussion massager

A percussion massager, or massage gun, is a compact device with a movable head, which moves back and forth in a small amplitude (up to 16 mm) and makes from 30 to 53 beats per give me a sec.

Complete with the device are nozzles in the form of a ball, a flat plate, a U-shaped fork, a “bullet” and other shapes. With their help, you can vary the strength of the impact and work out different areas of the body.

Percussion massagers are advertised by famous athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Maria Sharapova, about them say physiotherapists and fitness bloggers, and manufacturers declare their devices a chic tool for recovery. Let's see if this is really the case.

Why use a percussion massager

The percussion massager acts on soft tissues with quick strokes. Amplitude and frequency depend on the specific model.

Percussion is believed to help:

• improve blood circulation and speed up recovery after training;
• warm up the muscles and increase the range of motion of the joints;
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• decrease pain and muscle stiffness after exercise;
• work out "trigger points" - painful areas of uncontrolled muscle tension;
• reduce the risk of injury in the future.

Some manufacturers even claim that due to the strength of the impact, 5 minutes of massage with a percussion gun is comparable in effect to a half-hour session of a classic manual massage.

What Science Says About Percussion Massagers

To date, there has not been a single meta-analysis or systematic review of research on the effects of percussion massagers on recovery, pain, and flexibility. Roughly speaking, this means that the device does not have a reliable evidence base.

We were able to find only two separate studies that confirmed the effect of a percussion massager on the following indicators:

• Ankle mobility. IN experimentA. Konrad, C. Glashüttner, M. M. Reiner. The Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment with a Hypervolt Device on Plantar Flexor Muscles’ Range of Motion and Performance / Journal of sports science and medicin in 16 young men, five minutes of percussive calf massage at 53 beats per second increased the range of foot flexion by 5.4°. But this did not affect the strength of the muscles.
• The speed of the bench press in a state of fatigue. IN researchM. Garcia‑Sillero, J. M. Jurado-Castro, J. Benitez-Porres. Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment on Movement Velocity during Resistance Training / International journal of environmental research and public health in 24 young men, they found that 15 seconds of chest massage after each set helped maintain work speed longer. In the experiment, the number of repetitions was counted until the execution speed decreased by 30%. As a result, the guys from the experimental group did 5 repetitions more in 4 sets.

Thus, the massager can improve the mobility of the ankle and maintain the speed of work in the bench press. Whether it will work for other muscle groups, joints and exercises, and even more so if it will affect women and the elderly, is a mystery.

Concerning recovery after training, several studies have shown a good effect of exposure to vibration. For example, in one experimentS. Imtiyaz, Z. Veqar, M.Y. shareef. To Compare the Effect of Vibration Therapy and Massage in Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) / Journal of clinical and diagnostic research 5 minutes of this therapy after training reduced pain and stiffness in the next 72 hours. But this did not affect the restoration of strength. IN friendA. Piotrowska, W. Pilch, Ł. Tota. Local Vibration Reduces Muscle Damage after Prolonged Exercise in Men / Journal of clinical medicine - An hour on a vibrating chair significantly reduced the level of markers of inflammation and muscle damage a day after training.

There is also evidence that vibromassage of the whole body before training improvesP. Cormie, R. S. Dean, N. T. Triplett. Acute effects of whole‑body vibration on muscle activity, strength, and power / Journal of strength and conditioning research jump height, and after heavy loads helps1. W. Chwala, P. Pogwizd, Ł. Rydzik. Effect of Vibration Massage and Passive Rest on Recovery of Muscle Strength after Short‑Term Exercise / International journal of environmental research and public health,
2.W. Y. Lau, K. nosaka. Effect of vibration treatment on symptoms associated with eccentric exercise‑induced muscle damage / American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation restore strength and mobility of joints faster.

But all these experiments studied vibration on a special chair, and not percussion massagers. And we can only assume that, since percussion is also vibration, the effect of the gun will be similar.

Manufacturers boldly insert links to the works listed above, but from the point of view of science, this approach is incorrect. What they researched, they proved. The rest is just guesswork.

It may turn out that there is not enough research yet, because percussion massagers have become popular only recently, and more high-quality works and meta-analyses will appear over time. However, given the number of well-known ambassadors, scientific works will not be needed: these things are bought anyway.

Is it worth buying a percussion massager

Since the effect of devices has not been proven, personal experience can serve as the only guideline.

For example, if you enjoy rolling on massage roller after a workout or a hard day at work, percussion will surely please you.

Also, a pistol can come in handy if you can't start a workout without first rolling out because the muscles are so clogged and stiff that it hurts to move. However, one should not particularly hope for a quick recovery or a significant improvement in sports performance.

Recall that in the only study where a percussion massager affected the speed of working with a barbell, it was used after each set. Are you really going to take it to the gym and turn it on for 30-60 seconds of rest between presses?

At the same time, the cost of massagers is rather big. The cheapest models will cost 2-5 thousand rubles, and "monsters" from well-known brands - 30-50 thousand.

Iya Zorina