If you or anyone you know has arthritis, you know its pain and impact on overall life. It limits you from performing many routine tasks and minimises your mobility. As a result, many people opt for massage as a quick pain-relieving option for their arthritis.
Since knee arthritis limits a person’s mobility, it might be difficult to travel to get a massage. This brings massage guns for knee arthritis into the spotlight. Massage guns are becoming popular among athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and people looking for quick solutions for their muscular pain.
Knee arthritis is different from sore or strained muscles. You may use a massage gun on sore muscles, but can you use a massage gun for knee arthritis? Let’s find out.
What is Knee Arthritis?
Arthritis is a painful joint disease characterised by joint pain and inflammation. Knee arthritis refers to the deterioration of the knee cartilage, which may cause inflammation and pain in the knee joint.
Common symptoms are pain, decreased joint range of motion (ROM), stiffness, muscle weakness, and swelling. Any of these symptoms can be present at the same time, which leads to physical disability. In addition, it can significantly affect your daily life activities and mental well-being.
There are many types of knee arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. The normal ageing process often causes this degenerative condition, but it can occur at any age due to an injury or other diseases. Other types include post-traumatic and rheumatoid arthritis in the knees.
Is a Massage Gun Good for Arthritis in the Knees?
The most significant impact of arthritis is on the mobility of a person. The stiff muscles and joints make movement painful and challenging. The tension in the muscles around the knee and joint may sometimes result in swelling and inflammation.
Massage is proven to improve the flexibility and mobility of the muscles. Massage guns offer percussion and vibrating massage therapy. Percussive massage therapy shares some benefits similar to regular traditional massage. We can therefore consider using it as an alternative to traditional massage.
A massage gun can offer the following benefits for arthritis.
- It helps improve blood flow around the inflamed, sore, or stiff area.
- Regular use of massage guns helps your muscles stay flexible.
- Massage is also effective for reducing swelling and offering relief from pain. As a result, you can experience an improvement in your mobility.
It might not cure your arthritis, but if you have been looking for a way to restore your mobility, massage guns can surely help.
Can a Massage Gun Help with Knee Arthritis?
Physical therapy is one of the best treatment options for people with knee arthritis. Although it does not eliminate the need for medication and other treatments, it helps the affected person recover faster. It gives them the strength to move their knees and performs routine activities easily.
Massage is not a one-time therapy. You must be consistent if you use a massage gun for knee arthritis. It takes time to improve the range of motion of the affected person. Make sure you are also taking treatment according to your specific stage of arthritis. A massage gun can work as a supporting therapy option to provide speedy recovery.
Massage guns provide a convenient way to get a deep tissue massage via percussive therapy, providing pain relief and muscle recovery like a massage therapist can. This is why you should consider a massage gun for knee pain and arthritis.
How Does a Massage Gun Help with Knee Arthritis?
To understand how a massage or percussion gun can help improve knee arthritis, we first need to understand what causes the lack of mobility in knee arthritis.
- As there is no cure for knee osteoarthritis, treatments currently focus on relieving the symptoms. The predominant symptoms are pain, a decreased joint range of motion (ROM), and stiffness.
- When the joint becomes inflamed, the body responds by reducing nervous stimulation in the joint. Simply put, this reduces the usage of the joint where possible and is known as ‘atherogenic muscle inhibition’.
- As a response to this automatic body response, the muscles around the joint become weak. Over time this leads to a reduced range of motion (ROM) and, finally, a poor prognosis for lifestyle, health, and well-being.
How does a massage gun recover the reduced range of motion? When you use a massage gun for knee arthritis, it works in the following way.
- Local vibration and percussive massage therapy can reduce the body’s natural protective response, known as ‘atherogenic muscle inhibition’.
- Massage guns work the same way and significantly increase oxygen and blood supply to the muscles. This works as a shield against the continuously weakening muscles.
- As a result, the percussive massage treatment helps improve the range of motion (ROM) in the knee muscles. The improved ROM allows affected persons to enhance their mobility and decrease the pain caused by stiffness.
How to Use a Massage Gun for Knee Arthritis?
The knee is an important joint in your leg, and you should not use a massage gun directly on a joint. So how can you use a massage gun for knee arthritis? Here is a guide to tell you what to do and avoid while using a massage gun for knee arthritis.
Don’t Use it Directly on the knee
As mentioned above, experts suggest not using a massage gun on your joints. The joints are surrounded by several sensitive bones, tissues, and ligaments. Repeated hitting by a massage gun can lead to pain.
Instead, use the massage gun around the knee area, with the right massage gun head attachment. Massaging the muscles surrounding the knee will gradually decrease the pain. Move the gun slowly in a circular direction for better effect.
Start Slowly
If you are using the massage gun for knee arthritis for the first time, begin with a slower speed setting. Even if you have been previously using it on any other part of your body, start slowly with your knee. Once the muscles in that area become relaxed, you can gradually increase the speed. Massage guns allow you to transition between multiple speed settings according to your need.
You can adjust the speed according to your experience. It is better to listen to your body and adjust the intensity. If you feel comfortable, you can gradually increase the speed. Do not increase the intensity if it feels painful or makes you uncomfortable.
Avoid Open Wounds
If you have an open wound, cuts, or bruises around your knee, avoid using a massage gun for knee arthritis. It can cause pain and swelling in the bruised area. Instead, wait for the wounds to heal before you use a massage gun.
Make a Routine
Use your massage gun consistently to get optimal benefits from it. You can use a massage gun for knee arthritis once or twice daily. Do not exceed using it for two minutes on each muscle area. It is normal to feel sore afterwards. Once you develop a routine, your body gets used to it. Regular massage helps with better and long-lasting results.
Benefits of a Massage Gun for Knee Arthritis
Massage guns work wonders to eliminate lower back and other types of muscular pains. They have also proved their efficiency for knee arthritis. The following are the most compelling benefits of using a massage gun for knee arthritis.
Long-term Muscle Health
A massage gun or vibrating foam rollers can help improve your muscle health. It reduces the body’s natural protective response, allowing more movement within your joint. It helps to maintain good muscle health. This leads to improved long-term health and well-being.
Improved Range of Motion
The percussion technology used in a massage gun for knee arthritis has been shown to improve joint range of motion (ROM). This is always a big problem for people with arthritis, so regular treatment with a massage gun can free up the muscles. It allows better movement.
Once you have this improved range of motion, then you can work on strengthening the muscles in the gym and further improve your condition.
At-Home Massage Treatment
People suffering from knee arthritis experience low mobility. Their joint pain makes it difficult for them to walk, run, or even bend. As a result, it may be difficult for them to travel to a physiotherapist for their physical treatment.
Massage guns are ideal for people suffering from knee arthritis. They allow you to relieve your pain in the comfort of your home. You can either use it by yourself or ask someone to hold it for you.
Cost-Efficient
Visiting an expert to get massage therapy or calling them home is quite expensive. Besides the consultation fee, you also have to spend on travelling expenses. A pocket-friendly option is to use a massage gun for knee arthritis. It is a one-time investment with long-term benefits.
Once you invest in a high-quality massage gun, you can use it on other parts of the body as well. Recharge the battery when it is down, and give your knees a sigh of relief.
How to Choose the Best Massage Gun for Knee Arthritis
When getting a massage gun for knee arthritis, you must pay close attention to several factors. You must ensure that you get the right massage gun to help your knees recover faster.
You must choose a gun with the following specifications to treat your knee arthritis better.
Medium Amplitude
The amplitude of a massage gun represents its stroke length. This means how far the head travels with each percussion. You can find several low to high-amplitude devices, but the ideal massage gun for knee arthritis is the one with a medium amplitude.
A massage gun with an amplitude between 10mm-12mm works best for knee pain. The massage guns with a higher stroke length can cause soreness and pain around the knee, whereas one with a lower amplitude may not provide the intensity required.
Stall Force
The stall force is the pressure applied by the massage gun on your body. It determines the intensity of the massage. A versatile massage gun with medium to high stall force would work perfectly for knee arthritis.
Choose a massage gun with a stall force between 35lb-50lb. It will offer the ideal percussion quality to massage the quadriceps and hamstrings.
Battery Life
Massage guns usually have rechargeable batteries and work for hours with a single charge. This makes them easy to use as much as you want; however, be careful about how long you should use a massage gun. A massage gun with good battery life is great for indoor and outdoor use.
It might take 20-25 minutes to massage each leg. With a battery coverage of 5-6 hours, you can use the massage gun for 3-4 days with a single charge.
Other Factors
Other important factors include the ergonomics of the device. It must be comfortable to hold in hand with a firm grip. Choose the massage gun with low to no noise. Consider the portability and head attachments of the device as well.
Can you use a Massage Gun on Joints?
A massage gun is used for massaging a muscular area; it is not suitable for joints. You should never try using it on a painful joint as it may elevate the pain. So, where can you use a massage gun for knee arthritis?
You can use your massage gun on the following muscles in your legs. They will help you get rid of knee pain caused by arthritis.
- Use it on the back of your thigh. These muscles are called hamstrings. These large muscle groups help in flexing your knee. Massaging them can improve their movement.
- Massage the adductors. These muscles are located in your inner thigh and stabilise the knee movement. They also help flex the knee.
- The most important muscle group to focus on is the quadriceps. The quadriceps or quadricep femoris is located at the front of your thigh. They help extend the knee and are therefore called quadriceps extensors.
- Massage the back of your thigh to improve blood circulation to the biceps femoris. They coordinate with other muscles to control the bending of the knee.
Conclusion
In summary, knee arthritis is pretty common, and there is no definitive cure. The good news is we can help manage it and improve your health, fitness and well-being! A massage gun for knee arthritis is a game changer for the affected persons. It provides them with a quick and easy relief option and aids their treatment process.
Get your Pulseroll massage guns here and discover some other massaging tools also!
Want to learn more? Check out how one of our customers ran a marathon from scratch using our products despite having knee pain!
