Do massage guns work?

[LBM1953]

Hi. LBM1953 again. My local Costco has a percussion massage gun on offer this week and I was wondering if anyone has any experience of them and if they were beneficial in easing the pain and discomfort of PMR? Ta in advance.

[SheffieldJane]

Our diseases are not muscular skeletal. They are inflammation of the arteries. I think you might find massage challenging. Everything needs to be gentle and gradual. Let us know if you try it and it helps.

[kmeikle1 in reply to SheffieldJane]

Hi there SheffieldJane. I agree with your advice, and thought you may be interested in an article I have (sorry I can't attach it as I only have a paper copy). It's titled: "Musculotendinous Inflammation: The Defining Pathology of Polymyalgia Rheumatica?" Published in the Journl of Rheumatology 2019; 46:12; doi:10.3899/jrheum.190367. Based on their research, the authors (Owen, Liew, and Buchanan) put forth their assessment that PMR is a chronic, inflammatory disease of musculotendinous structures.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to kmeikle1]

jrheum.org/content/jrheum/4...

is the link for the paper mentioned - I've quoted it a lot. So pleased there is finally evidence for what I've been saying for a long time, that PMR and myofascial pain syndrome are closely linked

[kmeikle1 in reply to PMRpro]

Oh funny PMRpro...I couldn't recall where I had found it, but I'm sure it was from reading one of your posts. Thank you for that and for all of your important work here. You do have an impact as do others who so freely share their experience.

[SheffieldJane in reply to kmeikle1]

Thanks! No wonder it hurts so much.

[SnazzyD]

I can’t imagine anything worse. I had GCA without the PMR bit and the effect of Pred alone made my muscles really delicate. Before diagnosis I loved a good bone cruncher but after not even a gentle one. I had Bowen therapy instead. Bear in mind that the stiffness of PMR is down to inflamed arteries that deprive the muscle of oxygen. Not quite the same as a stiff muscle from normal use that needs a bit of pummelling. Sometimes people have a specific type of focused massage for myofacial pain, common with PMR, done by the professional.

[powerwalk]

I saw one of those on QVC and I was in agony just looking at it!! It's tempting to try anything we can to help but it doesn't look the thing for PMR. Looks like it would make things worse. Maybe someone who has tried it will prove me wrong! I should add my son has one for sore back and neck muscles and finds it very good. Different cause of pain though.

[Kingswaywhite in reply to powerwalk]

I bought one of these in the early days before I was diagnosed March this year as I ran 35 miles a week for years and thought the pain in my legs and hips was caused by sciatica and consequences of running so many miles. Didn’t help at all and the Pred was the only thing that made me feel normal. Back to easy running / jogging now and use the massage gun when it’s obvious that any tension in my legs is due to running. Hope this helps😊

[piglette]

Percussion massage gun gives you a deep massage, which I would have thought is a total no no for PMR. I may be wrong if course.

[Viv54]

I have just recently seen a member of the muscular skeletal team, i asked about massage , she said she would not recommend it. Its just not the right thing for it . I thought it was a great idea, just shows how careful you have to be. Good luck Viv .

[Bloomsbury123]

I’ve used one and it didn’t work at all. I was desperate to relieve the pain in my trapezius muscle but it probably aggravated it more than helped it, sorry ☺️

[pmr_nikola]

Don't know about massage gun, but I do use massage pillow that I can't live without. My experience is that gentle massage improves blood circulation and actually helps with PMR stiffness and pain. You just have to try massage gun - it won't kill you ( pun intended).

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I have had a device based on similar percussive technology for over 30 years and while I used it quite often pre-PMR it does nothing beneficial for PMR and can be quite sore to use on muscles affected by myofascial pain syndrome.

Unlike others, I do use therapeutic massage and manual mobilisation of trigger points, provided by the local hospital physiotherapy department and I wouldn't like to be without it. But it DOESN'T help the typical PMR pain and stiffness, only the much more specific problems associated with myofascial pain syndrome and spasmed muscles.

Some months ago there was someone on the forum who had developed pain after injudicious use of a massage gun on her neck by a therapist.

muscleandfitness.com/featur...

This

iqbody.com/are-muscle-guns-...

warns that people with existing inflammation should NOT usemassage guns as they may make it worse.

There is little in the way of clinical evidence/studies about their use as yet but one study suggested that non-medical use of such guns can lead to breakdown of muscle tissue similar to that found in myositis.

academic.oup.com/ptj/articl...

Personally I'm not sure I would be happy about a physiotherapist using one on me - never mind me playing with it.

[LBM1953]

Many thanks for the response(s) everyone. I guess that's a no no then!! 😬

[GOOD_GRIEF]

When my PMR was painfully active, I didn't even want clothes touching me, much less some machine pummeling me.

[DogAgilityObsessed]

I went to a private physiotherapist for about six months (this was before diagnosis) and it made me feel worse. I stopped going. The PMR continued to get worse and another six months later I was diagnosed. I *do* sometimes use a light massager on my legs when my muscles ache from over doing exercise but I’ve learnt not to push hard.

[benhemp]

I use a massage chair (a low end budget $250 one; not one of those multi-thousand dollar ones) and find it gives me some relief, especially after rising, my stiffest part of the day. I do have to be careful not to overdue it. My chair shuts off after 15 minutes; that is about the right amount of time. I pay attention to whether it is helping or not.