Massage guns are often attributed a lot of positive effects. But can these be proven with studies? This question will be the subject of the following article. For this purpose, I have gone on the research and analysis of various studies, which I will present here.
Short Answer
At the time of this writing, there were hardly any studies that explicitly refer to the use of massage guns. However, there are numerous studies that refer to massage devices as well as massages in general and can be applied to massage guns. For example, it has been proven that cellulite can be reduced by massages. Accordingly, massage guns can also be used for the treatment of cellulite. I will present you these studies in the article.
Long Answer – the Studies
You have now learned in short form that some studies can be applied to massage guns. I would like to present them to you here.
Study: Treatment of Cellulite with Massages
In a study by the University of Ankara, various massage methods were examined for their effectiveness in treating cellulite. For this purpose, 60 women with cellulite were divided into three groups of 20 women each. One group was treated with a conventional massage, one by lymphatic drainage, or one with connective tissue manipulation.
The result of the study was that the best result was achieved with the help of connective tissue manipulation. The cellulite was reduced the most here. However, cellulite was also reduced with the other two massage techniques.
Therefore, the study concluded, “All the treatment techniques are effective in decreasing the regional fat values of the patients with cellulites.”
Accordingly, massage guns can also be used to treat cellulite effectively. You can read more about it here: Can a Massage Gun help with Cellulite?
Study: Comparison of Vibration Therapy and Massage to prevent Muscle Soreness.
This study was performed on 45 healthy, non-athletic women. Again, these were undivided into three equal groups. All women performed athletic training. One group was treated with vibration therapy, one group received massage therapy, and one group received no treatment (control group).
The study came to the following conclusion: vibration therapy, as well as massage, are equally effective in preventing muscle soreness. They were able to show a significantly better result compared to the control group.
Furthermore, massage was effective in restoring muscle strength after exercise. Vibration therapy, on the other hand, rapidly reduces soreness after exercise.
Massage guns combine vibration with massage. Accordingly, the guns are very suitable for preventing muscle soreness, but also to reduce pain after exercise and restore maximum strength.
Study: Effect of Local Vibration on the Flexibility of the Triceps Calf Muscle compared to Static Stretching.
This study was conducted at the Catholic University in Daegu, Korea. The effect of massage with a massage gun compared to static stretching on the flexibility of the three-headed calf muscle (“Musculus triceps surae”) was investigated.
For the studies, 20 healthy people were divided into two equal-sized groups. One was treated with a massage gun. The other group relied on static massage.
The study showed that the flexibility of both groups improved equally. Therefore, the study concludes that massage guns can be a good alternative to static stretching to increase the mobility of muscles.
Literary Review: Effect of Massage Guns on the Mobility of the Lower Back.
This is not a study in the traditional sense but a literature review. This one focused on the mobility of the lower back and evaluated studies that looked at the application of massage devices to this area. Since massage guns are particularly discussed here, I would still like to include them in my listing of the more relevant studies.
The review came to the following conclusion when evaluating a total of 93 studies: “Massage guns were found to be the most effective method for increasing range of motion in the lower limbs compared to foam rolling and other self-performed myofascial treatments. The use of massage guns immediately after exercise reduced delayed onset muscle soreness. However, no significant increase in muscle activation or force output was found after using such a massager.”
As a result of this finding, the recommended conclusion is that massage guns should be used as part of a structured warm-up before exercise to increase the range of motion and prevent muscle soreness without negatively impacting strength during exercise. Likewise, according to the review, massage guns can be used to improve mobility after injuries during rehab and relieve pain.
Conclusion – Is there a Study proving that Massage Guns work?
Specific studies on massage guns are hard to find. However, some consistently show positive results when using such massagers. I have presented the most important studies in this article. I hope that I could help you!
If new studies on the subject are published, which are relevant in my eyes, I will add to the article accordingly.
