Using Massage Gun for Sciatica Properly - Must-know Things
Sciatica is a condition that produces pain in the areas where the sciatic nerve is distributed. The areas include the back, the back of the thigh, the outside of the calf, and the foot. In addition to pain, it may also bring about weakness, numbness and other symptoms that affect people's daily life. Massage gun as a hot massage and relaxation tool, will it help sciatica? If so, how should it be used?
Can Massage Gun Help with Sciatica
Massage guns are an aid to sciatica and can help relieve the pain if used properly. Sciatica is caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is in some way related to our muscles. For muscle relaxation, massage therapy is effective. Pressing and kneading your muscles with suitable pressure will allow for a large range of motion and less painful stimulation.
Combining massage therapy with modern technology, the electric massager helps people better take care of their muscles and reduce tightness and spasms.
How to Use the Massage Gun for Sciatica Correctly
Avoid Bones
The first thing we need to do is to identify the part of the body that needs to be massaged. Confirm that the areas you need to massage are muscles and not bones. The vibrations produced by a massage gun are too strong for areas such as the spine and joints. If you use a massage gun directly on these areas, it can lead to injuries instead.
Choose Your Massage Head
For different muscle groups, pain relief massagers on the market are equipped with different shaped massage heads. They can provide a personalized massage feeling. For sciatica, the round head and the flat head are used more often. This is because this pain occurs within large muscle groups such as the legs and back, and these two accessories are designed for massaging over a wide area. If your pain exists only in one point, then the bullet head can be used. Its close to point massage area allows it to better penetrate deeper into the muscles and relieve the pain. If your pain occurs on either side of the spine, then using the u-shaped head will avoid the spine and safely massage those areas.
Speed Adjustment
Some people may not know what massage intensity to start their relaxation journey with. Whether you are a new user or experienced in using a massage gun, we recommend starting at the lowest speed. It is your nerves that produce pain and they become sensitive at this moment, so massaging with too high of a vibration is not recommended. Waiting until your body gets used to the lowest frequency of vibration and then gradually adjusting is a better way.
Massage Time Limitation
Massage is not better the longer you do it. If you rub a spot of skin with your hands for a long time, you may experience peeling. If you replace it with a massage gun, then the situation will be worse. In order to keep the treatment from turning into an injury, we need to keep an eye on how long the massage gun is being used in one place.
In general, we recommend keeping the massage time in one area to 2-3 minutes. Remember to keep moving your therapeutic massager around the pain area rather than stay in one place. Once We recommend keeping the whole process to about 30 minutes, and if you want to continue the massage, take a ten-minute break and start again. Remember to always be aware of your body condition and stop as soon as the pain increases.
Rest
Ending the use of the massage gun does not mean that your pain is completely gone and you can move around freely. You should rest for 5-10 minutes after the massage. At the same time, do not engage in strenuous activities. You can rehydrate to help rejuvenate your muscles.
Although a massage gun can reduce the discomfort associated with sciatica when used correctly, it is not the ultimate solution for treating this condition. Please remember to consult your doctor and use the massage gun correctly with guidance.
