APEX PRO MASSAGE GUN

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

• DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE GUN
• 6 SPEEDS
• LIGHTWEIGHT
• SUPER QUIET
• 4 MASSAGE HEADS
• 1800mAh Rechargeable battery - LASTS 1-2 HOURS
• C Type charge cord included

Massage guns have become widely popular and easy to obtain. Many swear by these small handheld devices, which operate differently than the old vibrating massage guns. The new wave of massage guns, such as the APEX PRO MASSAGE GUN, pulse in and out, percussing the tissue (and stimulating deeper). These recovery tools are used by physical therapists, athletes and individuals who work out to relieve pain and improve circulation.

What is the therapeutic mechanism with these guns? How do they help?

Benefits of percussion massage guns

Some of the physical benefits of massage and using a percussion massage gun include:

• Reduced muscle tension
• Improved circulation
• Stimulation of the lymphatic system
• Decreases soreness after workouts
• Improved sports performance and muscle mass
• Improved rehabilitation from injuries
• Provides pain relief
• Stimulates the nervous system
• Facilitates lactic acid release
• Increased mobility, flexibility, and pliability
• Injury prevention
• Breaks up scar tissue (potentially)

Reduced Muscle Tension

Primarily, the nerve pathways travel from our brain into our spinal cords, exiting the spinal cord through nerve roots and ultimately reaching a “target organ.” A target organ can be muscles, blood vessels, digestive and hormone producing organs. This is called the efferent pathway with a primary function of directly facilitating or inhibiting skeletal muscles or smooth muscles in target organs. The sensory pathway travels from the target organs back through the nerve roots into the spinal cord and usually all the way up to the brain. This is called the afferent pathway.

Massage guns reduce muscle tension by bombarding the afferent or sensory pathway with a high intensity stimulus. The effect is similar to when one bumps one’s elbow and instinctively rubs it.

There are many forms of therapeutic high intensity afferent stimulus. Moist heat, Ice, tape, massage, jacuzzi, foam rollers, joint manipulation and percussion massagers essentially work the same way. They bombard the nervous system with high intensity afferent (sensory) stimulus thus causing a reflexive inhibition of the muscle tension.

Improved Circulation

An equally important advantage of massage gun therapy is the improvement of circulation. Better blood circulation means better nutrients and oxygen supply within the body. The nutrients and oxygen are needed for tissue repair and efficient body function.

Massage guns, when used correctly, have demonstrated the ability to improve the blood flow within a section of your body. A full body massage with these devices may lead to better circulation throughout the body.

One mechanism is a reflexive relation of the smooth muscles in the arterial blood system as well as a relaxation of the muscles allowing for decreased resistance to circulation. Poor blood circulation has adverse effects on your overall health.

Stimulation of the Lymphatic System

Lymphatic stimulation may also improve from using a massage gun. The lymphatics is the third leg of your circulatory system. Arteries bring oxygen rich blood to the tissue, veins bring deoxygenated blood back to the heart and lungs to pick up oxygen, and the lymphatics circulate interstitial fluid back to the heart to be reabsorbed into the blood.

Massage gun therapy has the potential to stimulate lymph nodes which in turn may help circulate the lymphatic fluids to areas of the body where they are needed. 

Your lymphatic system includes several lymph nodes that are placed throughout various areas of the human body. Lymph nodes are tucked away deep within the body or sometimes underneath the skin. The primary weapons these lymph nodes carry is known as lymphocyte. These nodes act as collection areas to store white blood cells (Lymphocytes) to fight potential infections within the body.

Decreased Soreness After Workouts

Anyone who works out or lifts weights knows that if you want to increase muscle strength and mass you must focus on increasing the stress systematically over time. The most common way to achieve this is to lift heavier weights or add volume over time. As we get more advanced, pushing the envelope means increased recovery needs over time. This sometimes can mean painful aches within the muscles known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS. DOMS can last up to three days after a heavy workout.

Massage gun therapy can greatly reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This study from 2014 showed vibration therapy is an effective treatment for prevention and management of DOMS. Also, the evidence that vibration therapy improves muscular endurance and increases power may reduce DOMS overall by improving muscular adaptations over time.

Both compression and vibration therapies use the same mechanism for muscle recovery. However, percussive therapy works directly over muscle tissue and has the potential to provide much stronger, specific results. The current research on vibration therapy is a good indicator that percussive therapy may be a much more effective treatment option. If you are experiencing real-time muscle pain, percussive therapy can help by breaking up the pain signals sent by your brain to your body.

Improved Sports Performance and Muscle Mass

Many professional athletes endorse and use percussion guns for the benefits we have discussed earlier.

Both whole body and localized massage gun therapy have been shown to improve muscle mass and strength in older adults. Massage guns can greatly improve muscle endurance, increase power, and improve kinesthetic awareness.

The effects include decreased pain, improved muscle tone, range of motion, and circulation. Because massage guns are so effective, it is easier to recover more quickly, train more consistently and consequently perform better on the field, court, and pitch.

Efficient blood circulation and soft tissue mobility enhancements offered by percussive therapy may help the body perform at a higher level. Any athlete who is a top performer will tell you just how important it is to have a relaxed body before a big competition.

Rehabilitation – Post Injury Care

Percussion massagers are recommended for rehabilitation treatment. As physical rehabilitation specialists, we’ve seen this first hand over many years:

Massage gun therapy is highly recommended for rehabilitation treatment because it not only hastens recovery but can also prevent re-injury. Massage gun use during rehabilitation is supplementary to the standard methods of rehabilitation therapy. This is achieved via improved healing and recuperation of atrophied or damaged muscles caused by trauma or illness.

Because percussion therapy facilitates efficient circulation within those areas (fascial tissues and muscles), flexibility is enhanced and the healing process is hastened.

Facilitates Lactic Acid Release

Every athlete or gym enthusiast will tell you how frustrating it can be when you are working out and suddenly you feel tired, nauseated, and cramped. This intra- or post-workout unpleasantness occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen in the body’s muscles, which is essential to convert newly formed lactate into energy. As a result, lactic acid build-up happens faster than the body can burn it up.

A massage gun can help dispel the extra lactic acid into the circulatory system and get you going again. This also has the potential to reduce DOMS that may happen later.

Improved mobility of muscles / pliability of tissue

Deep tissue massage provided by massage guns can help push out waste, improve blood circulation and release tension. This in turn helps improve tissue metabolism. This healthy exchange aids in preventing injuries and hastens tissue repair.

Improved tissue health will support more regular exercise, which will typically leads to improved flexibility. Massage guns are also frequently used while stretching to help improve the depth of stretch, potentially leading to improved muscle and joint flexibility.

Injury Prevention

Massage guns can be used to prevent injury by increasing muscle temperature which increases pliability and flexibility. This accelerates warm-up and recovery, and contributes to reduced injury risk.

They can be used before a workout to wake up the muscles as a warm up. Massage gun therapy as a warm-up ensures that your muscles are supplied with enough oxygen and activation before starting exercise.

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WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

General Precautions / Things to Keep in Mind

• Massage guns can cause pain. New onset of pain usually means you are applying too much pressure, or the speed is too high. Check that you are applying just the right pressure based on what area of the body you are massaging.
• Avoid touching nerves. When you feel an electric shock-like pain, stop immediately.
• Do not use a massage gun directly on bony areas, the spine, neck, fractures or wounds.
• Only use them on muscles for complete assured safety. Otherwise consult an expert.
• Do not use a massage gun on an area that has impaired sensation. If you feel you’re not getting precise sensorial feedback, don’t continue massaging that area. Chances are you are doing more damage than repair.
• Do not use massage guns if you are on blood thinners (example: heparin and warfarin) prescription. 
• Seek medical advice first before using a massage gun if you have:
  • An inflammatory disorder
  • Warfarin and heparin prescription
  • Muscle strain, varicose veins, ligament sprain, high blood pressure, and conditions affecting blood vessels like thrombosis.