What's the difference between percussive massage and vibration massage?
By Matt Johnson
Founder of The Feed.
Are you looking for an efficient tool to prep for a workout, enhance recovery, or heal up? Percussive massage and massage devices are changing the "at-home recovery" scene.
What is Percussive Therapy?
Percussive therapy or percussive massage is a breakthrough treatment to alleviate soft tissue pain, heal injury, speed recovery, enhance athletic performance and get an amazing night's sleep using a powerful massage gun that produces a rapid, pounding force in short duration pulses which penetrate deep into the tissues of your body.
It’s not the same as vibration. With vibration, the frequency is really high or the product never comes off the body, so it makes the area numb and it becomes less effective. Sometimes it can become noxious to the nervous system.
In percussive therapy, your body never adjusts to the combination of the frequency and depth of force being used. Since the body never accommodates it, it stays effective for pain relief the whole time. The amplitude and frequency have to be matched so the body recognizes the relief.
What Is A Massage Gun?
Also, know as a percussion massager, Theragun is the perfect device for deep tissue massage. It's an up and down motion, not a vibrating action that enhances circulation and helps break up light muscle fiber adhesions.
Theragun combines the depth (amplitude), the frequency (40 pulses per second on fast and, 29 on slow), and torque (the force of the pressure, so the device doesn't stall). The combination of these three things has created the perfect formula for a deep massage that both activates muscles and aids in recovery.
What Are The Benefits?
- It helps to break down internal scar tissue and adhesions
- Provides improved circulation in the veins and lymphatic system
- Enhances flexibility and increases range of motion when used in combination with gentle stretching
- Provides highly effective and immediate pain relief
- Relaxes your parasympathetic nervous system which aids in recovery and sleep.
- Use pre-workout to get your fluids flowing and muscles lubricated
- Use during training to zap and recharge exhausted muscles
- Helps speed healing of the injury
- Feels amazing!