Well, in my opinion, the honest answer is the jury is still out!
There has not been a huge amount of research done on the benefits of massage guns. There are some studies that review the effectiveness of massage guns in aiding sports performance (and the studies so far are small scale and show limited benefits) but a search for ‘massage guns’ combined with, say sciatica show a lack of evidence-based research to show that they help.
There are also different types of massage guns: percussion and vibration based. Both types can help improve blood flow and improve range of motion even if only on a temporary basis. In addition, they are portable and can readily become part of your daily routine.
Some massage guns are really easy to use and are designed so that you can reach all areas of the body, particularly your back, whereas others are bulkier and depending on your strength and flexibility might be great for your legs but may be more difficult for you to reach your back, for example, on your own.
Typically, studies have reported using the massage gun for varying times: anywhere from 30s per muscle group to 2-5 mins per main muscle group (not on one spot!). This is important, as in clinic, I have seen people who have overused a massage gun on one area of the body and they have actually caused some tissue damage: usually on the upper shoulders where they were ‘just trying to reach this knot’. So, one caution is be careful where you are using it and not to overdo it! Personally, I think 2-5 mins on one area would cause damage depending on the intensity used and that’s where it helps to know what you are doing.
There is evidence to show that massage guns can reduce muscle soreness after exercise, particularly eccentric exercises. However, in terms of improving performance, well there is no improvement in contractile force needed for power movements (such as jumping).
How does a massage gun compare to a foam roller or a hands-on massage treatment? Again, there is insufficient information to make any broad statements comparing these different modalities. But one thing I do know is that self-massage with a massage gun tends to be very focused on a specific area of tension and rarely do we look at how that tension is feeding in and affecting our posture, muscle strains or other musculoskeletal issues. It is being performed to achieve a very precise goal.
However, different things suit different people and as with all therapies there is not a ‘one size fits all’ answer. So, if it feels good to you and you enjoy using a massage gun then there is no reason not to continue to use it with caution on large muscle groups such as the legs and arms. Would I suggest using it on the neck: no, as there are too many important structures around there and with improper use there is the potential to cause damage (Sulkowski et al, 2022).
Personally, I’d rather someone worked out what treatment was best for me and I just enjoy some time out and relax whilst they do all the massaging!!!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bakhtiary AH, Safavi-Farokhi Z, Aminian-Far A. Influence of vibration on delayed onset of muscle soreness following eccentric exercise. British journal of sports medicine. 2007;41(3):145–48.
Imtiyaz, S., Veqar, Z., & Shareef, M. Y. (2014). To Compare the Effect of Vibration Therapy and Massage in Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR, 8(1), 133–136. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2014/7294.3971
Koeda T, Ando T, Inoue T, Kamisaka K, Tsukamoto S, Torikawa T, Mizumura K. A trial to evaluate experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness and its modulation by vibration. Environmental Medicine: annual report of the Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University. 2003;47:22–25
Martin, J. (2021.). A critical evaluation of percussion massage gun devices as a rehabilitation tool focusing on lower limb mobility: A literature review. Retrieved from osf.io/pre-prints/sportrxiv/j9ya
Sulkowski, K., Grant, G., & Brodie, T. (2022). Case Report: Vertebral Artery Dissection After Use of Handheld Massage Gun. Clinical practice and cases in emergency medicine, 6(2), 159–161. https://doi.org/10.5811/cpcem.2022.2.56046