3 Benefits Why Everyone Should Own a Hand Held Massager

Massage guns, also called percussion guns/massagers, are a great way to relax your muscles. I often get asked which one I would recommend. My response: the one that makes you feel better after using. Vibration massage is a sensory input to the brain and everybody will have a different response. There is no one size fits all. Your spouse might love the Theragun but when you tried it, it did not feel relaxing at all during the use. The next morning you felt tighter and more sore. You may have googled "best massager gun" and bought the #1 pick, used it a few times, it didn't feel great or didn't help your problem. Now it is somewhere lost in the house. Sound familiar?

Massagers have different characteristics and therefore will create different input to your brain:

• Vibration speed is measured in percussions per minute or frequency (hz).  1600-2800 percussions per minute are equivalent to 25hz - 46 hz.
• Amplitude (stroke length) example 14mm, 11mm, 8mm - applies to massager guns
• Pressure

Every person will need different input to their brain and some input might not be as good as others.

In any case, I believe that every person should own a massager since it has so many more benefits besides releasing muscle tension (read below).

How to:

1. Pick a massager that has multiple settings so that you can change the speed of vibration. Your massager should have settings for different speeds in the range of 25Hz to 50Hz
   
2. Perform a range of motion assessment. For example, if you are working on your hamstrings then try to touch your toes. If you are working on your shoulder then move your arm overhead, or measure the level of pain/tightness on a scale of 1-5.
3. Use the massager by choosing one speed.
4. Reassess: perform the same assessment as you did before. If you have more range of motion or less pain/tightness then this massager might be a good fit for you.
5. Try the same with different speeds.

Three of my favorite recommendations (I have no affiliation to these products - these are products that simply benefited my family and clients):

#1 Massager: Rezzimax Tuner - great for migraines, neck, and face stimulus, lymph work in neck and face area (the photo is the 1st generation, there is a newer version out now) (light pressure)- cost $499

#2 Massager gun: Jawku Mini - great for tight muscles and relaxation (more medium pressure) - cost $130 - I also love this one because it is so small and easy to take on trips.

#3 Massager: Therarub - great for anybody who doesn't like a massager gun - this is a more gentle massager (light pressure) cost $30

Benefit #1 Reduces Muscle Tightness

A setting between 35 and 50Hz is commonly used to stimulate muscles for strengthening or relaxation.

• Low speed, deep pressure will activate muscle spindles and tendon organs for recovery to decrease muscle tone and aid in relaxation.
• High Speed, deep pressure will stimulate free nerve endings and Pacinian corpuscles to inhibit pain signals and help with range of motion.
  

Benefit #2 Overall Relaxing/Calming

Vibration travels through the nerves to the medulla of the brainstem. This area is essential for regulating cardiovascular and breathing. It is also the starting point of important cranial nerves IX, X, XI, XII. Cranial Nerve X is the vagus nerve that I have talked about in the previous Supercharge emails. This nerve is a major player in our parasympathetic system (rest and digest).

• Low speed, light pressure will stimulate Ruffini endings and muscle spindles to decrease sympathetic activity and improve flexibility.

Benefit #3 Increase In Muscle Strength and Power

Combining isometric(holding) muscle contraction with vibration on that same muscle will lead to higher neuromuscular activity which increases the production for strength, power, speed, and hypertrophy.