Doing sports therapy at home is all the rage nowadays with lots of tools you can purchase and use, but which model is the best massage gun for you?

I am a firm believer in taking care of yourself. As a sports recovery and trigger point therapist, I always educate my clients to do their homework to help me, help you. 

We don’t have to be pro athletes to have sore bodies and muscles; our everyday modern life gives us plenty of bad postural habits leading to tight, strained muscles, making constant release necessary to stay pain-free. 

Some people regularly see a deep tissue massage therapist or go to their physiotherapist/sports recovery therapist. But there is some work that you can do in the comfort of your own home, while watching Netflix, to ensure your muscles don’t get so tight that pain ensues.

Every day, I meet people who are suffering from various aches and pains, such as shoulder pain, knee pain, tight hip, neck pain, or even elbow pain… etc.

I diagnose the cause of their issue, then I give them a bunch of stretches and massages they should do at home between sessions. I usually get the usual cries of “Really? I have to do homework?”

And my answer is always an emphatic YES because you doing a little each day will help speed up recovery time, even if you can’t get as deeply into the muscles as I can in person. 

When my clients do their homework of releasing at home, I can help them more: rather than restarting the whole process of eliminating knots when I see them, hopefully, their muscles are getting less tight every session. 

Here’s where vibrating massage guns may come in.

The Best Massage Guns (Vibrating Massage Device) – Pros and Cons

Benefits of Using a Massage Gun 

• Portable (you can bring it with you on trips, or in the privacy of your own home)
• Affordable compared to a weekly deep tissue massage
• helps relieve the superficial layer of the muscles
• reduces lactic acid build-up after an intense workout 
• offers quick relief to those who suffer from mild or interval pains 
• Lightweight
• Increases recovery time 

Disadvantages of Using a Massage Gun

• It’s difficult to massage the back or glutes if you’re doing it yourself
• Can cause Bruising
• Can cause Soreness
• Can cause wrist soreness if the massage gun is heavy 

Best Massage Guns: Quick Summary 

1. While the Theragun Elite is probably the most recognized Massage Gun out there, it doesn’t come cheap and is quite heavy to hold and bring around. The same brand has a lighter model, the Theragun Mini, which is indeed small, but not as powerful with only 3 speeds.
2. The Piroir massage gun has been designed in a way to reach the back areas, so could be a good choice for those who want to self massage their back.
3. My favorite, all things considered, is this Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun because it’s powerful. I use it on clients all the time, but for home use, it could be too heavy and cause wrist pain. For self-use, I use this Recoverfun mini-massage gun, which is small and light and comes in 3 fun colors.

Massage Guns: Who Are they For?

Do you often feel muscle soreness after a workout? Or tight from hours at a desk? This handheld massage device could be good to use at home while watching TV to give quick relief to tired muscles.

The vibrations are known to reduce the build-up of lactic acid, so can help with recovery, and regular usage on trigger points and muscles can prevent long term tension that can lead to pain.

If you are planning to build a gym in a small home? A set of TRX, a pair of gloves, some good quality knee, back and wrist supports, and a quality massage gun would create a great home gym and spa combo!

Massage Guns: What To Consider?

When choosing the best massage gun for you, here are some characteristics to think about:

• Versatile with more changeable head options that allow you to dig in deeper at certain points or have a more general, softer effect. Most massage guns come with several options to change, such as one for the sides of the spine or a tip for small concentrated trigger points.
• Having a device that is light-weight and portable means you can carry it around with you and use it more often, rather than sticking it in your closet and never taking it out. Also, if it’s too heavy, it can inadvertently cause strain in your forearm and wrists.
• Varying speeds for different intensities when you need to bring it up a notch. Larger muscles like glutes can withstand higher intensities while smaller muscles can take only slight vibrations.
• Long-lasting battery life – if you use your massage gun often, you don’t want to have to always be charging it up during use or even between uses.
• Ergonomically friendly grips help to make it easy to reach areas like your back, without straining your forearm or wrist.
• Some guns have smart app integration with how to’s and instructions on what areas to focus on.
• The higher-end guns advertise being quiet during use, which comes in handy if you’re chatting while you self-massage, or want to take in a film. Some of the noisier ones can be heard from rooms away, so this might mean keeping your massage hours to before 9 pm!

Massage Guns: Warnings before use:  

• If you have a pre-existing muscle/ligament tear, you should not use a massage gun on the area. The vibrations from the gun can make the tear worse and cause more damage. 
• To reach your backside, ie: glutes, upper, mid, and lower back, you may still have to ask a friend to help you.
• Don’t massage over bones and joints. If you do, bruising and soreness may occur. 
• If your condition feels worse after using the gun, stop using it immediately. 

Best Massage Guns – Top 5 Picks by Therapist

Theragun Elite

Theragun is a popular brand that has put quite a lot of thought into its designs. The Theragun Elite is quite enough for an average muscle release, but its size means that it’s not that portable to bring around with you. It would probably be something you keep in one place, like at home or the office.

I like the handle on this, which allows you to reach your back a bit, but getting to the shoulder blades on your own still might be a problem. 

What We Like:

• Lightweight
• Quietness 
• Different options for the head compartments 
• The size that is efficient enough 
• Smart app integration 
• Battery life 
• Ergonomically well-fitted handles 

What We Don’t Like: 

• It is the priciest option, so if you’re watching your budget, you may want to skip the bells and whistles and get something simpler.

Theragun Mini

The Theragun Mini is a portable model from Theragun that has lots of five-star reviews, mostly because it’s so lightweight and easy to carry around while being powerful. This is easily something you can keep in your backpack or purse, ready to be whipped out for a quick massage whenever, wherever. 

The drawback is that it’s not as powerful as the Elite version, and only has three speeds, but for most people, the portability and lightness is a more important factor to consider. 

What We Like:

• Mini-portable – on the go! 
• Ergonomical 
• You can reach your backside
• You can reach the smaller nooks and crannies of your neck, forearm, or calves

What We Don’t Like: 

• Not as powerful as the elite 
• The battery is not as long-lasting     
• Only has one headpiece 
• Only has 3 speeds     

4800mAh Deep Tissue Percussion Massager

The Piroir massage gun is the only massage gun I know of that allows you to reach the mid-back and in the shoulder blade area. The way that it’s been designed means that it can bend at different angles to reach hard to reach areas. 

What We Like:

• Ergonomically well fitted for hands 
• USB C rechargeable 
• Mini- portable 
• Fast charging 
• 4 massage heads
• 5 different speeds 
• Up to 3200 RPM speed 
• Up to 10 hours of battery life 
• Lightweight 
• 5 different adjustable angles 

Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun

The Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun is my favorites, it’s nice and powerful and I use this on my clients all the time. However, it’s very powerful and quite heavy, so I would not recommend getting this for non-professional use.

You’ll end up with wrist and forearm pain that’ll need more massaging later! In particular, the handle is not ergonomically friendly for self-use, so you cannot reach your backside.

What We Like:

• Very powerful 
• 9 different speeds 
• 7 different massage heads 
• 4 hours of usage in one charge 
• Sleek style 
• Portable 
• 3400 RPM speed 
• Super quiet 
• 36 hours of battery life 

What We Don’t Like: 

• The handle is not ergonomic 
• Heavy 
• You cannot reach your backside 
• Too powerful, not gentle enough

Recoverfun Mini Massage Gun

This has become my new favorite for self-use. It’s small, ergonomically friendly, powerful enough for simple use, and comes in 3 fun colors. 

What We Like:

• 0.5 KG in weight 
• Mini-portable 
• 4 different massage head with one that is suitable for an all-round quick massage 
• 5 hours of battery time 
• Up to 3200 RPM in speed 
• 4 different speed 
• 3 different fun colors 

What We Don’t Like: 

• Too lightweight feels like it may break with too much use

FAQs

When to use massage guns? 

Massage guns are a great way to find some quick relief at home for sore muscles. The percussion movement helps to bring blood flow to a problem area, which can accelerate recovery and healing.

Will a massage gun help with cellulite?

No! unfortunately, a massage gun won’t help with cellulite. However, strength training can help the appearance of sagginess by forming firmer muscles under the skin.

We have suggested some great hip and lower back exercise that could help the situations, go and check them out!

What massage gun to buy?

There are many variables to consider when purchasing a massage gun, which depend on how you want to use it. Things to consider include weight, ergonomic form, noise, portability, and of course, price.

Read the rest of this blog post to find out which massage gun I recommend based on these factors.

Best Massage Gun – Conclusions

As you can see, there are pros and cons when choosing a massage gun, and whichever one is right for you depends on your needs and how you want to use it. 

Massage guns are a great way to warm up your muscles before a workout and a great tool to release any tension built up after your workout. If you know what you’re doing, you can also save on weekly massages (although nothing can fully replace the really deep, targeted massage of a knowledgeable therapist!). 

So while I wouldn’t rely on a massage gun to solve any chronic or injury-related pains, it can be a great tool to have on hand for emergencies and superficial relief in the short term that can be done at home.