What is Percussive Therapy?
Introduction
Percussive therapy is a relatively new recovery technique that is gaining popularity due to athletes having more access to massage guns like TheraGuns. These guns provide a deep tissue massage without the need for a masseuse. Leg Up Recovery utilizes Hypervolt 2.0 Pro massage guns which deliver a much more powerful vibration-like therapy to muscles when compared to similar tools on the market today. This rapid succession of pulses aid the muscles in eliminating soreness and lactic acid.
Technology Used
Leg Up Recovery utilizes the Hypervolt 2.0 Pro massage gun. While there are much more affordable options on the market for consumers to buy for in-home use, the Hypervolt is a much more durable and powerful tool which is ideal for commercial use. The tool can be used by a Health and Wellness for a guided therapy session or can be used by users to use on specific muscles that are causing issues.
Scientific Backing
Due to the ever changing technology and techniques being brought to the forefront of athletic recovery, there is a limited supply of clinical data surrounding the use of percussive therapy. However, one clinical trial, did a small scale study including 24 participants which looked at the effects percussive therapy had on movement velocity while bench pressing. This trial was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study concluded that participants in the group that received percussive therapy during their 3 minute rest periods between bench press sets were able to perform more repetitions than participants within the control group1.
Benefits Seen
Benefits that can be seen with regular use of percussive therapy include increased decreased muscle soreness, decreased muscle recovery time, and an increased range of motion. Percussive therapy has been long thought to provide the same kind of benefits that deep tissue massage would. Both of these therapies increase blood flow to muscles along with manual working of the muscles that helps to rid the muscles of harmful waste products.
Side Effects and Contraindications
The most prominent side effect of regular percussive therapy use is bruising. A health waiver is required to be filled out by each client prior to receiving therapy to ensure they are healthy enough to receive percussive therapy.
Contraindications of percussive therapy include but are not limited to clients with fracture or bone breaks, clients with clotting disorders, and those that are pregnant.
Conclusion
Percussive therapy has proven itself to be a therapy that could potentially replace deep tissue massage in athletes that do not have regular access to a masseuse. The technology has come a long way since it was first introduced and pricing for percussive therapy vs a massage therapist is not comparable. Leg Up Recovery is always looking for new scientific studies to add to their data to further evaluate the efficacy of all of their therapy options, however, the acceptance of this technique is already well seen within the athletic community.
References
- García-Sillero M, Jurado-Castro JM, Benítez-Porres J, Vargas-Molina S. Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment on Movement Velocity during Resistance Training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(15):7726.
