Electric body massagers are trending today because of the hustle and bustle lifestyle and choosing relaxing off-days to rewire. They are indeed, popular and convenient being quick massage-at-home tools. Gym-goers, athletes, office workers, housewives, and elderly people can use it for fast muscle recovery, prevent soreness and loosen tensed muscle tissues. It comes with an instruction booklet, charging cable and interchangeable massager heads seeming extremely easy to handle. However, as pros and cons are always together, one must ensure the correct usage of the device. 

Do not use massage guns at one spot for more than 5 minutes. It causes skin irritation, bruises, and nerve discomfort. Use the massage gun at low speed and intensity and not at abrupt high modes as it stresses the muscle further. Massaging with wrong massager heads can also trigger pains, use every head for appropriate body region. Ball foam and flat head massager heads for chest, arms, and hamstrings including quads, glutes, and claves. Fork massager head for heels, feet, neck region. Bullet head is an advanced form, used only for targeting a deep tissue pain point, and must never be used at high speed intensity. 

Where Not to Use a Massage Gun?

Body massage machines may be seamless to use, but if used wrong, can trigger muscle tissues as well. Massage guns are for soft muscle tissues and deep muscle work, not for bones, tendons, joints, nerves, veins, arteries, or cartilage at all. Hitting the bones, the knee caps, and directly on the spine is incorrect as it causes skin bruises and injuries. Massage guns rapidly stroke the large muscles to release accumulated stress and knots only. 

Do Not Use Massage Gun On:

Directly Over Bones 

Bones are close to the surface and have less tissue around it. The skin around ankles, elbows, wrists, collarbone, ribs, and spine vertebrae has no muscle. Since a massage gun is designed for the large muscle groups, hitting these sensitive areas with no muscle cushioning will cause bruising and discomfort to the tissue surrounding the bone. 

On the Front or Side of the Neck 

The neck is another sensitive area which must never be massaged with an electric massage gun because of the surrounding vessels, the trachea/ wind pipe, and dense interconnected nerves that control inhalation, exhalation and brain blood flow. Using a massage gun directly will cause dizziness, discomfort, and complication if the speed and intensity mode is high. Be safe from high modes and if you feel a tension in the back of your neck connected with the shoulder, be sure to massage the trapezius muscles only away from the throat region. 

Directly Over Joints 

Never target massager guns on the joints, hinges like elbows and ankles, wrists and cartilage. The percussion therapy worsen pains in the bones and the applied pressure irritates the ligaments and tendons instead of relaxing and soothing them. Your only approach must be the muscle surrounding any joint, such as the quadriceps above the knee, forearms near wrists, but not the joint bone. 

Over Injured, Swollen Areas, Open Wounds

If an area of the body has unpredictable lumps, bumps, swollen nodes, or inflammation of any sort, massager guns must never be near them! Injuries and open wounds with teared muscles, broken skin, and harsh bruises must also never be massaged with an electric massager. The rapid stroke vibrations can reveal the wound, cause bleeding, worsen soreness and bruising and spread the wound in the worst cases. A healing muscle must never be massaged using a massage gun. Such mistakes can worsen underlying damage and spread inflammation as well.  

Over Areas With Major Blood Vessels 

Always avoid groin, inner thighs, and behind the knees, where major blood vessels reside and closest to the surface of the skin. Excessive percussion pressure over these regions can affect the circulation and cause blood vessels to bruise internally. Vessel-dense zones are dangerous to massage with an electric massager. They can restrict blood flow, rupture small venules, tear major arteries, and cause blood clots. Varicose vein patients must never use massager machines as it can damage fragile vein walls and dislodge blood clots. Any vein that is bulging from the skin, is your no-go-area! 

When Should You Avoid Using a Massage Gun? 

Always wait for your injury or wound to heal completely before massaging with a device. Always avoid massage gun during unexplainable severe cramps, sharp pains, skin bruising and progressively worsening lumps. A healthcare professional can guide you in such cases to apply medicated ointments or topical oils for the areas or a medicine that would heal the inflammation. 

What Areas Are Generally Safer for Massage Gun Use? 

Always aim for large, thick, or meaty muscle areas such as the chest, arms, forearms, thighs, calves, glutes, lower back sides, such as love handles, and quads. Here, the muscle is large enough to absorb the rapid percussion. These are the only areas where knots develop, blood circulation constricts, post-workout soreness increases, and muscles ache ruining a peaceful sleep. 

This is where massage machines are utilized to help release the knots, loosen up the tissue, and even supply nutrition and oxygen supply to improve blood circulation. A solid 15 minutes to 20 minutes maximum is sufficient and safe to massage large muscle groups daily. However, ensure to glide the machine, never apply excessive pressure. Use low to medium mode to let muscles and nerves adapt to the speed and intensity of the massage. If you’re interested in purchasing a massager machine for daily safe use, grab one today from Sasta.PK at the most affordable package price in the market. 

Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs 

1. Can you use a massage gun on your neck? 

Yes, but you should not target the front and sides of the neck as it comprises the veins and arteries, wind pipe, and sensitive nerves. If accumulated tensions are felt, focus on the trapezius muscles at the further back instead. 

2. Can you use a massage gun directly on your spine? 

Never directly massage the spine! It is dangerous because the vertebrates have extremely less muscle tissue covering it and rapid percussion can bruise the vertebrae. It may harm the interconnected nerves. Glide the massage gun beside the spine instead of the bony middle region. 

3. Is it safe to use a massage gun over bones? 

Never directly point an active massage gun on the bones. Ankles, shin, collarbone, elbows have no muscular cushioning and direct percussion bruises and sores the region. Aim for large muscle mass such as chest, arms, forearms, hamstrings, including quads, glutes, and calves. 

4. Can you use a massage gun on an injured muscle? 

Do not use a massage gun on an injury, especially a muscle injury. Do not use electric massager on an inflamed, swollen lump, fresh injury, severe strain, or wounded muscle. Let the injured muscle heal completely, before you hit a massage gun over it. In case of a worsened situation, immediately consult a doctor or healthcare professional on the case. 

5. What body areas should you avoid with a massage gun?

Avoid bones, joints, back of the knee, direct spine, groin region, windpipe, open and fresh wounds, bruises, swollen lymph nodes, lumps and bumps. Always avoid regions with major veins and arteries and direct organs. You must only target large muscle mass regions such as thighs, calves, chest, biceps, triceps. Beside the spine and around the back of the neck joining the shoulder is fine too.