Massage guns and compression boots have come back into vogue again with massage therapists - but should they be?
I first saw compression boots in use at a stand at the Berlin Marathon Expo, around seven years ago. The runners getting free sessions looked very relaxed as they zipped themselves into the boots, and then even more relaxed as the boots inflated and deflated around their leg, squeezing, compressing and then releasing the calf and thigh muscles. They were surrounded by leaflets in various languages explaining the benefits for blood flow and recovery, inflammation reduction and DOMS managment. At just under £800 for a pair, they weren't flying off the stand, but presumably they were selling enough to make the endeavour worthwhile.
Some time ago I was interviewed by Good Housekeeping Magazine about the safe and effective use of massage guns. The market for massage guns had expanded from high end brands like Theragun to cheaper, no name brands from China sold via Amazon at a fraction of the price, and so more people were looking to buy.
What I explained to Good Housekeeping was that massage guns are deceptively named, as rather than being a massage like you might get from a professional therapist, a gun delivers simple percussive therapy - the head of the gun pounds against the muscle, hopefully pummelling away any soreness. Because of the high percussive force (how hard the gun's head hits the muscle) these machines use, they're only safe to be used on big muscles like the thigh rather than delicate muscles like the neck. Compression boots (unsurprisingly) use compression therapy - the squeeze and release can be somewhat similar to simple petrissage massage, with the more expensive boots offering a variety of compressive strengths and cycles for different users. Like massage guns, compression boots have fallen dramatically in price, with professional quality boots now costing as little as £299.
So it's no surprise that sports massage therapists are now using massage guns and compression boots as part of their business. For a massage therapist, these machines have multiple upsides:
Massage guns and compression boots do a lot of the repetitive, hard work
Less taxing on the therapist's body (massage is hard work!)
Clients often like the idea of something that is "high tech"
The devices quickly pay for themselves with no additional outlay once bought
But what about for the client? Certainly, clients find them popular - they are "professional" and "used by athletes" and often provide a feeling of relaxation...so what can be the harm as long as the client is happy?
As a professional soft tissue therapy business, we feel that the use of mechanised massage takes away a huge part of the therapeutic elements of soft tissue therapy - and that's the physical touch.
Massage guns remove the need for a therapist to be skilled in palpation or even basic anatomy - it becomes merely - where does it hurt, let me put the massage gun there. There's no need to really understand or treat the problem when instead, you can simply overwhelm the nervous system by hammering it with a massage gun until it's overwhelmed.
Likewise, all compression boots can do is squeeze and relax. There's no remedial work or attempt at understanding what is happening to cause the pain. A pair of compression boots is never going to pick up on a issue with the knee that might be causing a hamstring issue, or a problem with a hip that might be causing painful quads.
It's no surprise that the same "type" of therapists using compression boots and massage guns are the same therapists offering intense scraping and priding themselves on how red and raw a client's skin looks after "treatment", or offering multple packages because multiple appointments are needed to resolve what should be a simple, straightforward issue.
For us, it's a bit like going to see a dentist and them pulling out an electric toothbrush to clean your teeth instead of using precision tools. You'd be right to feel a bit aggreived. These boots and guns can absolutely have a place for home use as part of a home recovery routine, but a professional therapist should have no need to resort to these blunt tools.
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