hey everybody it's doctor jo, and today i'm going to show
you how to use a percussion massager or some people call them massage guns
for knee and leg pain so let's get started.
before we get started, if you haven't already, make sure and click on the subscribe button
below because it helps my channel grow. i'm going to use the iReliev wireless
percussion massager, and i'll talk a little bit more about it later. so let's get started.
so knee and leg pain often comes from tight and sore muscles. so the percussion massagers
are really great to help relieve that pain in the muscles, and it's really nice because
percussion massagers get deeper into the muscle tissue. so it's really like a deep
massage. and research shows that it's actually just as beneficial, or sometimes more beneficial
than a traditional massage. so with knee pain, a lot of times the muscles that are causing some of
that knee pain are the ones that either cross the knee or the ones that come up to the knee. so the
quad muscle is usually a big one. the it band that starts up at the tensor fasciae latae or the tfl,
the hamstrings in the back, the calf muscles, those cross as well. and then sometimes even the anterior
tibialis. it doesn't actually cross the joint, but it comes up to the knee and has a lot to do
with it, so it's really nice to get these muscles worked out. especially if you have something like
shin splints or you know just a tight quads, you might have those are the kind of things
that will really help. so with this percussion massager, i really like it because it's not super
loud, and it also has three settings. you hold down the button, and it starts. so you can see here that
it has that kind of pushing motion, and you can see it's it's pretty interesting because it makes
that vibration going on. but when you're using a percussion massager, you don't want to push down
super hard. you really want to just start getting the muscle loosened up. i'd start off on the lowest
setting and then kind of come around to where the muscle starts to attach where the tendon is here.
you can come over to the it band, move all the way up. you can do it over your clothes you don't have
to do it directly on the skin, but a lot of times it's going to feel a little bit better directly on
the skin. if you hit a bone, you can see it jumps a little bit differently. you don't particularly want
that to happen, but it's not if as long as you don't stay on the bony spot, it's not going to be
that big of a deal, but it will be a little bit of a different bump. but also with this you don't want
to stay in one spot for too long, so i wouldn't want to just sit here, especially if i was going
up on a higher setting and just sit there and hold it because it might cause some extra soreness or
maybe even some bruising if you push down really hard. so you really want to kind of continuously
move with this. and there are some precautions of when you shouldn't use it. some obvious ones
there shouldn't be scabbing or open wounds, um you shouldn't do it over fractures that you know
active fractures that you have, so just make sure that you're reading the instructions, getting cleared
by your doctor or physical therapist to do this because this does go deeper into the tissues. so
it really does make a difference, uh it's not just one of those light massage things that
you get from any store, it is it is a deeper tissue kind of workout. so with the iReliev
wireless percussion massager, that's one of the biggest things that i really like about it is it's
wireless. you don't have this cord that you have to move around, you can really get it all around your
leg and your knee and that's a really um nice component that i personally like. it also has
three different settings like i was talking about earlier, so when you push it down this is
the the lightest setting that you probably want to start off with. then it'll go a little bit quicker,
and then the the third setting which is the the strongest setting. and so it's a lot quicker and
you can kind of see it might would be fun to slow it down and show that movement of it going up and
down. it's actually pulsing into the tissue and so that quick movement of those percussions
really helps relax those muscles. so again if you're going into the calf here,
you really want to keep it moving if you're over on that area anterior tib. you want to keep it
moving. if you want to come up you can go kind of like a sideways angled motion. it doesn't have to
be directly over it, just to get those muscles. and so again not for a long period of time, just start
off with a little bit and build up to it, but make sure that if you're getting extra soreness that
you're not just pushing through that it should be maybe slightly uncomfortable, especially if
you have some soreness and tightness in there, but it really shouldn't be painful. and again people
who like the the research and like to know about research, this also does the percussion massagers
research shows that it really helps with doms which is delayed onset of muscle soreness. which is
when sometimes we work out really hard, especially if you haven't worked out for a long time,
and you get that delayed onset where you're not really sore right afterwards, but a day afterwards
or two days afterwards, you get that really that lactic build up in your muscles it makes it really
sore. so this does a really good job of that and some studies even show that it's 30 better than
a traditional massage. so you know take it for what it is. do your own research, but i really do
like this percussion massager for getting that deep tissue massage in there, and it really helps
relieve and relax those muscles, and increase the circulation in the area which helps with
healing process and getting that inflammation out of there if you have a little bit of
inflammation. so if you're interested in purchasing the iReliev wireless percussion massager, make
sure and click on the link up there. and remember be safe, have fun, and i hope you feel better soon.