Regular massage therapy is a technique in manual therapy that can be easily conducted using the fingers, forearms, hands, feet, or elbows. Therapy conducted manually is critical for helping to relieve pain, soreness, and muscle tightness. However, percussion massage therapy involves the use of the best percussion massagers to do deep-tissue massages to treat shoulder pains, general tightness, and sore muscles. Percussion massages release the tension trapped in fascia and muscles, while also improving blood flow to joints and muscles and minimizing lactic acid accumulation. In addition to this, percussion massage therapy involves a lot of soft-tissue manipulation, which is much for effective than conventional vibrational therapy. The best percussion massagers are cordless and have extended battery lives, are lightweight, are of small size, and feature multiple massage modes. Let’s focus on what to know before using percussion massage therapy as an alternative to conventional medicine.
What to know before using percussion massage therapy as an alternative to conventional medicine
Ideally, percussion massage guns should be used by moving them up and down across the muscles, pausing when you encounter a pain point or sore spot. The massager should be applied to the areas around the pain point or sore spot to eliminate and gently work out the knot.
- If you regularly experience aches and pains around the same spots and joints even after extended use of the best percussion massagers, you should inform your health care provider and provide them with details about your lifestyle and health management tactics.
- If you have an underlying medical condition such as arthritis, it is best to consult your health care provider before using a percussion massager, especially on your joints and tendons.
- You should not use percussion massage therapy as an alternative to seeking medical care when in severe pain or when feeling out of sorts after an intense workout session.
- Always make sure you learn about how to safely use the best percussion massagers, especially how to apply them to the sore spots, as well as the duration of time you should spend massaging a muscle area.
How to avoid the risk of injury during percussion massage therapy
- Regular users of the best percussion massagers should know which regions of their bodies have blood clots, fractures, weakened bones, skin infections, or open/healing wounds and avoid using the massage gun in these areas.
- Percussion massage therapy is seemingly safe for cancer patients; however, you should always consult your oncologist before using a percussion therapy gun on an area with a tumor, and you should not apply deep and intense pressure on such areas.
- Patients with low platelet counts and bleeding disorders should avoid using forceful and strong percussion massage therapy. Patients currently taking blood-thinning medications such as warfarin should also minimize percussion massage therapy on their muscles.
In addition to these risk-avoidance techniques, percussion massage therapy also comes with side effects such as swelling, which is rare but depends on the type and amount of force used during the massage session. The user may also experience temporary discomfort in the form of mild pain as a result of constant rubbing and manipulation that the muscles are not yet used to.
Conclusion
The best percussion massagers are tools designed to allow you to massage various parts of your body without the need for a professional masseuse. You should, however, know when to use percussion massagers and avoid potential health complications for users with underlying conditions.
