How Does A Massage Gun Help Sore Muscles? (Explained)

Do massage guns help sore muscles?

Yes, it does!

This article explain how a massage gun can be used to alleviate the pains associated with sore muscles.

So How Does A Massage Gun Help Sore Muscles?

You can use the massage gun to increase your blood circulation and ease tight muscles. This device also allows you to prepare your body for a workout and reduce your chances of suffering from muscle strain.

It doesn’t matter whether you deadlift hundreds of pounds, sweat through an intense workout, or run outdoors; there’s a great chance you may end up with sore or aching muscles sooner than you expect.

And for non-athletes and athletes alike, this pain and soreness typically peak 48 hours after a workout. Moreso, the pain can persist for up to a week.

ALSO READ:How To Use A Massage Gun For Sciatica(Explained)

What Causes Muscle Soreness

When there’s micro-tearing your muscle fibers, it can cause muscle soreness known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

This condition arises due to intense activities such as CrossFit exercises, weightlifting, uphill and downhill running. Also, muscle soreness can prevent you from training or doing your workouts for many days.

The good news is that there are several techniques you can use to relieve your pain and soreness.

And one of such techniques includes massage gun therapy. Massage guns are effective for post-workout muscle soreness. It’s not only safe but also provides several physical benefits. 

What Does A Massage Gun Do For your Muscle

Massage can help athletes recover from sore muscles. Also, research proves that post-exercise massage can promote muscle growth and reduce inflammation.

Furthermore, after a workout, massage gun therapy could help relieve your pains and make your muscles become fitter. For example, in a recent study, 11 men were made to go through a strenuous exercise session. 

This bout of exercise could make you sore and stiff for some days afterward. After this intense session, each man had a Swedish-style massage for 10 minutes on one of their legs.

Meanwhile, they were allowed to rest the other leg so they could use it for comparison. Afterward, muscle tissue from both legs was sampled before and post-exercise by the researchers.

The researchers utilized gene-profiling methods to observe the muscle cells to see if there would be chemical changes.

Nonetheless, they spotted two significant differences between the rested legs and those that were massaged. First, genes on the massaged legs were activated, leading to a reduction in inflammation. 

Second, massage switched on genes that increase the creation of mitochondria structures. It’s noteworthy to mention that the mitochondria structure is the energy factory within your cells.

Hence a fitter muscle cell tends to have more mitochondria. This shows a massage gun can ease muscles sore, decrease inflammation, promote muscle fitness, and many more.

Massage Gun For Sore Muscles (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 for muscle soreness because it’s budget-friendly, easy to use, and effective.

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 if you wish to get further information about the product.

ALSO READ: OPOVE M3 Pro Massage Gun Review: Why It’s Worth The Hype

Could Massage Boost Muscle Fitness?

According to Mark A. Tarnopolsky:

“If someone starts an endurance exercise training program, after two or four months of training, depending on the intensity, you essentially double the volume of mitochondria in muscle.”

This renowned professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, also said that Mitochondria allow the cell to absorb and utilize oxygen.

That’s to say, the amount of mitochondria is proportional to the muscles’ ability to take up oxygen.

Mark A. Tarnopolsk equally said massage and exercises could enhance that pathway and benefit your muscle growth and recovery. 

Besides, it’s been found that ice baths or anti-inflammatory medications to ease muscle soreness may have some downside in recent years.

This kind of remedy could block muscle growth and repair. But with massage therapy, you can suppress inflammation and boost muscle fitness.

Do Massage Guns Help Muscle Recovery? 

A massage gun produces intense pulses and vibrations into the muscle tissue. This boosts circulation, which not only relaxes the muscles but also eases soreness and pain.

Moreover, the massage gun comes with six replacement heads that relax the appropriate muscle. This percussive device relieves tension and soreness via rapid oscillating bursts of pressure tissues in your muscles. 

It’s best if you use your massage gun immediately after the workout. That way, it will aid recovery faster and better.

Based on a study in the Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research, traditional massage and vibration therapy can both effectively reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

Hence when you’re injured, you can use massage guns to speed up your recovery process. This would allow your injury to heal faster through improved circulation. 

How To Use Massage Guns  For Muscles Soreness

The paragraphs below provide steps on how to use massage guns:

The first step is to switch on your massage gun while preventing it from touching your body.

Although this may seem insignificant, you need to have better control of the device. Besides, resting such a percussive device on your muscle and then switching it on can be jarring.

The second step is to rest the massage gun on your body. Please don’t put any pressure on it. Instead, allow it to float.

The next is for you to glide the massage gun along with your muscle. Ensure you move it slowly. Let’s say about an inch per second or even slower. Also, allow the device to rest on your body area with tension or knot for a few minutes before you move on.

Lastly, take a nice long deep breath. And feel the relief. We recommend you try the Opove M3 Pro massage gun. Click here to read a review of this device

Frequently Asked Questions

Do massage guns help build muscle?

Yes, massage guns can help build the body muscles and equally strengthen them. Besides, you can use this percussive device to warm up your muscles before any exercise activity.

Does Theragun help sore muscles?

This percussive device can be used as a pain-reliever tool. This is because it’s used to treat various ailments, including aches, pains, tension, knots, and, yes, sore muscles. According to Lisa’s Bankston, director of human performance at Theragun, percussive therapy, including theraguns, helps reduce pain by interfering with pain signals sent to your brain.

Do vibrating massagers help sore muscles?

Yes, vibration massagers help sore muscles. This therapy also improves power development, muscular strength, kinesthetic awareness, increased range of motion, decreased muscle soreness, and increased blood circulation.

What are the standard ways to reduce muscle soreness?

Sadly, as an athlete having sore muscles is bound to happen. It’s part of the process of becoming stronger and fitter. However, the following things below can help you lessen your muscles soreness:

• Muscle massage.
• Rest.
• Gentle stretching.
• Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicine, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
• Ice to help reduce inflammation.
• OTC creams and gels (brand names: IcyHot and Aspercreme) that contain menthol or capsaicin can ease muscle soreness.
• Heat to boost blood flow to your muscles. Even a warm bath or shower can help.

Conclusion

Exercise can form a healthy part of our active lifestyle. Exercising can build strong muscles and promote blood circulation in your body. Unfortunately, this activity can lead to sore muscles.

And it usually happens when you engage in a new training or increase the level of your intensity. Additionally, you might experience small tears in the fibers of your muscles or strain your muscle. 

This shows your muscles are getting stronger or responding to the new intensity of the exercise. During this period of muscle soreness, your muscles can strengthen or repair themselves. But then you would feel the discomfort or pain for several days. That’s why we recommend you use a massage gun to alleviate this pain.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this website results from in-depth research on various topics. The articles on this site are only for informational and educational purposes, and it’s not intended as medical or health advice. Hence, we 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.