Massagers for Athletes: Surprising Benefits! How to take advantage!

Massagers for athletes have become very popular in the last decade or so. If you are an athlete, it is highly likely that you either own one or know many fellow athletes who do. If you go to any sports event, you will see quite a few athletes holding these athletic massager guns at different points in their performance. However, just as much as you see them in use, you also see those that criticize their use. I guess it really comes down to this: do they actually do what they are promoted to do

Athletic massager guns help with recovery

The first and most obvious use for massagers for athletes is for recovery. Following a workout or performance, there is lactic acid buildup in muscles. Lactic acid contributes to fatigue or the sense of tiredness. Different studies have shown that applying a massage gun increases blood flow to the area of application, which helps circulation remove lactic acid. A similar case can be made for reducing delayed muscle soreness. With exercising comes microdamage to muscle tissue. The feeling of delayed muscle soreness is experienced about a day or two later. With increased circulation post-workout, delayed muscle soreness can be reduced or even eliminated.

It is unclear if massage guns can improve performance

The most controversial topic is whether or not an athletic massager gun can help improve performance. This question is not easy to answer. There really isn't too much research on the topic, but the few published research articles show that it does not. We have to keep in mind that there are so many possible combinations of parameters that should be tested, but only a few have been. We expect that more research in the area will shed more light on the topic.

Mobility can improve with a percussion massager

A well-documented benefit of an athletic massager gun is that it helps increase range of motion. Whether it is range of motion around the ankle, knee, or hip, significant pre-exercise improvements in range of motion have been observed. However, this improved range of motion was not associated with a measurable improvement in performance.

These findings may seem discouraging, but they should not be. It is well documented that reduced range of motion is a major contributor to many injuries. Whether it's reduced ankle dorsiflexion, knee extension, or too much hip flexion; a decrease in range of motion can alter body mechanics resulting in some kind of musculoskeletal dysfunction. An example of this can be when landing from a jump. When one lands, they tend to bend their knees to ground reaction force. If ankle mobility is limited, it will translate to limited knee bending. Limited knee bending will translate to more force on the joints, which can translate to different types of injury.

An athletic massager gun helps you recover and reduces the risk of potential injury.