Insta-Evidence "Do Massage Guns Work?" #8

Everyone is jumping on the recent "bandwagon" of "Massage Guns" claiming they improve recovery, remove metabolic waste, improve ROM, break up adhesions & break down scar tissue...🤷🏼‍♂️

BUT Do Massage Guns Really Work?🧐

RECOVERY?

While blood flow does promote healing & recovery, the idea of "toxins" needing to be "flushed" away via "massage" before you can heal is BS (2). Good news, studies do show increased amounts of blood flow & lymphatic drainage following EMT (External Massage Techniques)(15), and as I often say... Blood flow is KING(1). So, using your massage gun will likely aid in recovery and help the body’s natural inflammatory process(5). 

FLEXIBILITY?

Sensory receptors throughout our tissue structures enable our brain to perceive, allow and restrict movement to protect the system accordingly. Research shows that massage techniques can neurologically modulate the muscle into greater ranges of motion (6)(7).  

DECREASE PAIN?

Pain is a output from the brain (a response created from nociceptor information based on stimulus) & is processed in context of other environmental information, like your emotional state or past experiences, so pain can be very subjective and complicated. This being one mechanism that may down regulate pain from EMT, as we can send various signals to the brain from touch, heat, vibration, pressure and more, resulting in the perception of decreased localised pain which is regulated by the 🧠(9)(10). 

SCAR TISSUE/FASCIA?

Research has failed to show a “strong” link between massage and the successful removal of scar tissue(11). While massaging tight areas may reduce pain, it’s likely not changing the architecture of the tissue or fascia, rather any perceived change to the tissue is more likely regulated through the nervous system(13,14).

HOW TO USE IT:

   a) For training

- Short sharp deep 30-60 sec bouts of treatment 

- Incorporate movement allowing further neurological integration + increased ROM

    b) For recovery

- Longer more gentle bouts of treatment

- Aim to increase blood flow 

- Best used in conjunction with other modalities

References:

1. Nina C. Franklin, Mohamed M. Ali, Austin T. Robinson, Edita Norkeviciute, Shane A. Phillips. Massage Therapy Restores Peripheral Vascular Function following Exertion. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.02.007

2. WebMD. 2019. Massage: Does It Really Help Muscles Recover After Exercise?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20000426/massage-help-muscle-recovery#1. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

3. Runner's World. 2019. Is Lactic Acid Really Such A Bad Thing? | Runner's World. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20823127/is-lactic-acid-a-bad-thing/. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

5. Massage Therapy Attenuates Inflammatory Signaling After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. BY JUSTIN D. CRANE, DANIEL I. OGBORN, COLLEEN CUPIDO, SIMON MELOV, ALAN HUBBARD, JACQUELINE M. BOURGEOIS, MARK A. TARNOPOLSKY

SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE01 FEB 2012 : 119RA13

6. LWW. 2019. An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release Increases Range of... : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research . [ONLINE] Available at: https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2013/03000/An_Acute_Bout_of_Self_Myofascial_Release_Increases.34.aspx. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

7. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2019. No page title. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24567860. [Accessed 10 September 2019

9. William Deardorff, PhD. 2019. Pain Signals to the Brain from the Spine. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/spine-anatomy/pain-signals-brain-spine. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

10. Majchrzycki, M., Kocur, P., & Kotwicki, T. (2014). Deep tissue massage and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for low back pain: a prospective randomized trial. TheScientificWorldJournal, 2014, 287597. doi:10.1155/2014/287597

11. SAGE Journals. 2019. SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research. [ONLINE] Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.hkjot.2016.11.001. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

13. Lodish H, Berk A, Zipursky SL, et al. Molecular Cell Biology. 4th edition. New York: W. H. Freeman; 2000. Section 22.3, Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21582/

14. YouTube. 2019. Mobility Myths with Dr. Quinn Henoch | Foam Rolling | JTSstrength.com - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vthkcq_1D1M. [Accessed 10 September 2019].

15. Ko DSC, Lerner R, Klose G, Cosimi AB. Effective Treatment of Lymphedema of the Extremities. Arch Surg.1998;133(4):452–458. doi:10.1001/archsurg.133.4.452