5 Benefits Of Massage Gun After Workout
A massage gun is a recovery tool that has garnered many positive reviews in the past few years. Professional athletes, fitness experts, and even celebrities rave about the immense benefits of this device.
So Should I Use A Massage Gun After A Workout
Yes, using a massage gun after a workout is highly beneficial and valuable. This is because the device can improve recovery with reduced muscle soreness.
Also Read: 6 Benefits Of Massage Gun On Stomach
5 Benefits Of Massage Gun After Workout
Mentioned below are five benefits of a massage gun after a workout:
#1. Improved Sleep
Sleep is vital for libido, alertness, cardiovascular health, growth, and cognitive function. Lack of sleep is a real threat these days, and it’s an issue that is frequently happening.
Regular use of a massage gun on your body after a workout releases serotonin, which keeps you relaxed. When you do it right, your body also releases melatonin, a chemical responsible for letting you sleep when you need it.
#2. Stress Relief
When you use a massage gun properly, it can boost your body’s dopamine and serotonin release. These two chemicals contribute to the relaxation of the body. But then it’s essential to know the right points to hit and the appropriate amount of pressure required.
#3. Increased Focus
Massage guns can reduce stress and improve blood flow; your brain is more likely to be more alert and maintain an optimal oxygen level. Alertness and optimal oxygen usually help to enhance our sense of focus.
#4. Injury Prevention And Increased Flexibility
Massage guns can speed up athletes’ warm-up and recovery process. This percussive device can be used before a workout to wake up your muscles.
The treatment with a massage gun as a warm-up ensures that your muscles receive sufficient oxygen and activation before you start exercising.
Massage guns also help increase the temperature of your muscles, which increases flexibility. This significantly lowers injury risks.
#5. Improve The Immune System
There are still no conclusive studies of how percussive therapy treatment affects the immune system. Although it’s well known that massage guns help boost blood flow.
Hence white blood cells and other immunity factors can move through your body tissues more smoothly due to improved blood circulation. This potentially enhances your body’s immune response during times of stress.
Also Read: Do Massage Guns Help With Recovery? (Incl.6 Benefits)
Risks Of Using A Massage Gun After Workout
Below are some of the risks of using massage guns:
- Injury Risk Or Muscle Damage: Massage guns can cause injury if misused. These include applying too much pressure or pressure in the wrong places. For example, a 2021 case study found that improper use of a massage gun led to a severe condition known as rhabdomyolysis. If you experience bruising or significant pain while using a massage gun, it signals that you may be at risk of injury and should stop using it.
- Discomfort: While most people enjoy the percussive device, others can find it uncomfortable. For example, people prone to feel pain or those with sensitive skin may experience discomfort during use or pain after use.
- Oversensitivity: Some massage gun users report feelings of oversensitivity after using the device. If this happens, it is advisable not to use it as part of your warm-up routine.
- Contraindicated In Certain Medical Conditions: Many medical experts advise against using massage guns if you suffer from medical conditions such as muscular dystrophy, peripheral neuropathy, and injuries. Also, do not use a massage gun while pregnant unless your doctor has given you the green light.
Tips To Consider Before Buying And Using A Massage Gun After Workout
Here are some helpful tips to consider before getting a massage gun for use:
- Review the manufacturer’s instructions: It’s easy to use, and turn on the massage gun. However, it’s always good to check out the manufacturer’s instructions for safety tips to avoid injuries and get other helpful advice.
- Read Reviews: Reading reviews about a product is the best way to find out people’s opinions about the product. There are various online reviews platforms you could check out about user opinions about the massage gun. Also, you can read reviews on Amazon and seek recommendations from your family and friends.
- Work In Sections: A Massage gun is an excellent device that can quickly work through stiff or tight areas of your neck, back, shoulder, glutes, calves, and many other spots
- Start At The Lowest Speed: Using your massage gun at higher speed settings often leads to more discomfort. Some people will like those high speeds. But then others won’t prefer something stronger than the low vibrations.
- Don’t Overuse It: You must use your massager for short periods to prevent overstimulation of the muscles or causing discomfort in a particular area.
Massage Gun For Workout (My recommendation)
We have different massage guns and theragun brands available in the market today. But, unfortunately, some are very expensive to purchase.
Furthermore, others are cheap but may not have specific features that make a massage gun much more effective and user-friendly.
I recommend the Opove M3 Pro Massage Gun after a workout because it is budget-friendly and easy to use.
This device also has a good battery life, sleek design, and features that you will usually find on other high-end and expensive recovery tools like the theragun.
Click here to read the Opove M3 Pro Massage Gun review to get further information about the product.
Final Words
Your body is in a heightened state when you finish your workout. Nevertheless, a massage gun will help you relax your nervous system.
The quicker you turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps control rest, the quicker your body goes into recovery mode.
Hence we recommend athletes use the massage gun after a workout to improve their recovery rate after engaging in strenuous activities.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is a result of in-depth research on the subject matter. This article is only for informational and educational purposes, and it’s not intended as medical or health advice. Hence, I suggest you always ensure to seek the opinion of your doctor or other qualified health personnel regarding any questions that relate to health objectives or medical conditions
