If you follow fitness-loving celebrities like Ashley Graham and Kevin Hart, you've probably seen the Theragun pop up in your feed. The massage device looks like a power drill and rapidly pounds the body at 40 beats per second, using something called "percussive massage therapy" to supposedly relieve muscle pain. So how exactly did a physical therapy device become so trendy?

What Is A Theragun?

The TheraGun was invented by chiropractor Jason Wersland, D.C, after a motorcycle accident left him with a herniated disc and back pain. To help manage his pain, Wersland decided to try percussive massage therapy, which he defines for SELF as a "form of deep soft tissue manipulation." Think of the percussive motion as a beating or hammering movement, versus just vibration. He created the TheraGun to bring this therapy to athletes looking for ways to improve muscle recovery.

Theragun is a massage device that looks (and sounds) like a power drill that uses percussive massage therapy to treat muscle soreness and relieve pain. The tool has increasingly been used by everyone – from professional athletes to weekend warriors and everyone in between.

The idea behind the Theragun is to improve blood flow and circulation, which is good for short-term relief of acute muscle soreness, but it doesn’t have long-term benefit," Oswald explains. You can use the TheraGun the same way you would use a foam roller or massage ball to roll out a tight or sore muscle, he adds, but the force it produces may actually help you reach deeper muscles.

What is Percussive Therapy?

Percussive therapy, also known as percussion therapy, is a form of soft tissue manipulation intended to reduce muscle soreness and increase range of motion. It is a deep muscle treatment that delivers rapid and long vertical strokes into the muscle, causing neuromuscular response. Therapists nationwide have been using the Theragun professional-grade percussive therapy device to alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance performance for patients. It has become another tool in helping their clients to live a life in motion!

Benefits of A Theragun?

• Accelerates recovery and muscle repair

• Increases blood and lymphatic flow

• Relieves muscle spasms and stiffness

• Breaks up scar tissue Improves lactic acid clearance

• Activates the nervous system and muscles

• Muscle fatigue, pain, tightness, soreness, and knots

• Natural stress relief Theragun can also help with muscle tension related to nerve damage, atrophy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and a range of other ailments

• Make recovery more efficient and effective

Massage guns are a great bet in combating pain irrespective of the body location. They have shown to be more effective than the conventional foam rollers, which was the major muscle pain killer before now. Massage guns have been used by many personal trainers and athletes. Most of their testimonies have been centered on how their bodies achieve full functionality after an exhaustive workout.