Don't use the fascia gun in these places! Tell the people around you!

If you see someone using an electric drill on themselves in the gym, don't be nervous. There is a high chance that what they are holding is the "relaxation artifact" that has been very popular in the fitness circle in recent years - the fascia gun.

The full name of the fascia gun is "muscle fascia relaxation massage gun" (most products are indeed shaped like a gun). According to the official description of most manufacturers, the fascia gun uses a special high-speed motor inside to drive the "gun head" to generate high-frequency vibrations to the deep muscle layer, thereby reducing local tissue tension, relieving pain, and promoting blood circulation. In short, it is very comfortable after use.

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Five or six years ago, when the fascia gun first came out in foreign countries, it was only used by individual athletes. Then it quickly entered the field of mass fitness, and has been particularly popular in the fitness market in my country in recent years, and has also earned nicknames such as "relaxation artifact" among the people.

However, can this seemingly dangerous thing really have these effects? Are you sure it's not just a waste of money?

Too long to read

1. The fascia gun is useful in theory, but its effect has not been confirmed by experiments;

2. Pay attention to safety when using.

Is the fascia gun really that magical?

To answer this question, we need to understand two things first: first, what is the function of fascia; second, why muscles feel uncomfortable after exercise.

First of all, let's talk about what fascia is. Fascia is a relatively dense connective tissue, which is generally divided into three categories: the first category is the superficial fascia located in the subcutaneous tissue; the second category is the deep fascia wrapped around the muscle surface, which is also the main content of our discussion today; the third category is the visceral fascia, which has a certain function of fixing the position of internal organs.

Deep fascia wraps around the surface of the muscle | Stecco Carla, Macchi Veronica, et al

The main function of fascia in muscles is to reduce friction between different muscle tissues and help them contract better. Research from the University of Ulm in Germany showed that fascia can actively contract due to the presence of smooth muscle-like fibroblasts, thereby affecting musculoskeletal dynamics. [1]

During exercise, muscles are controlled by nerves. After exercise, muscles can sometimes relax, but nerves are still in an excited state, which may cause continued muscle tension and stiffness. In addition, in some high-intensity exercises or fatigue caused by maintaining a posture for a long time, muscles and fascia may suffer minor injuries. Some people also have cord-like tissues in the fascia/muscle gap, which can also cause changes in internal tissue tension, causing discomfort. In addition, during high-intensity exercise, the body's energy metabolism and the body's self-protection mechanism may also cause muscle/fascia discomfort [2].

With the above two points in mind, we can better understand how the fascia gun uses the principle of muscle resonance to exert force on the fascia and thereby achieve the purpose of muscle relaxation: the fascia gun first acts on the muscle fascia covering the muscle surface. Under the dual effects of physical stimulation and muscle warming, the elasticity and extensibility of the muscle fascia will increase. The fascia gun uses this principle to achieve the effect of relaxing the body's muscles. [3]

It should be noted that there are currently no direct randomized controlled trials at home and abroad to verify the effectiveness of fascia guns. The only similar one is the research on vibrating foam rollers.

Vibrating foam rolling can also relax the fascia, and a randomized controlled trial found that foam rolling exercises can significantly improve the mobility of the thoracic and lumbar fascia in healthy young people.[4]

But at the same time, the experiment also exposed the limitations of the vibrating foam roller. Due to its size, the vibrating foam roller is more suitable for relaxing the back and buttocks, while the fascia gun is more precise and can relax target parts of the body from all angles to relieve fatigue.

Of course, this is only a theoretical effect. To know the exact effect of the fascia gun, we need to wait for further research.

Before using the fascia gun, remember these taboos

Although the fascia gun performs perfectly in principle and seems to be able to adapt to various situations, it is not suitable for all parts of the body. The fascia gun cannot be used on the following parts of the body.

01 Side of the neck

It is not recommended to use the side of the neck or even the front of the neck. Because these places are densely covered with nerves and blood vessels, if you feel some tension in the side, you can use traction to relax it, but never use the fascia gun to directly hit the side of the cervical spine, which is very easy to cause danger.

The carotid sinus is located at this position. It is relatively superficial and quite sensitive to external mechanical pressure. When it is suddenly subjected to physical pressure or blow, it will produce a cardiovascular reflex, causing blood pressure to drop and heartbeat to slow down, leading to instantaneous insufficient or interrupted blood supply to the brain. Some individuals may even experience extreme situations such as fainting or cardiac arrest.

There are many blood vessels in the neck, so it is not recommended to use a fascia gun | complete anatomy

02 Where there is a protrusion on the bone

For example, the protruding bones in the middle of the spine are called spinous processes. There is also a bony protrusion on the shoulder blade of the shoulder joint called the scapular spine, with the supraspinatus muscle on the top and the infraspinatus muscle below. There are many similar bony protrusions on the body. In principle, if you can touch the bone directly with your hand, you cannot use this gun to shoot directly around the bone. Otherwise, in addition to severe pain, it may also cause soft tissue damage.

Spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra | complete anatomy

The scapular spine is an important bony landmark | complete anatomy

03Inner side of clavicle

The upper shoulder is prone to soreness. Generally speaking, it is OK to use a fascia gun to hit the upper trapezius muscle from the back to the front, but never hit it close to the clavicle. Because behind the clavicle and in front of the upper trapezius muscle is the channel for the cervical spine to emit the brachial plexus nerve, and there is also a subclavian artery on the posterior and medial side of the clavicle.

The medial clavicle facial nerve is densely covered with blood vessels | complete anatomy

Generally speaking, when performing surgery, for example, brachial plexus anesthesia, this position is also found along the inner side of the clavicle. Therefore, if you feel uncomfortable in this position, it is very easy to cause injury if you use a fascia gun to hit it.

04Armpit and inner side of upper arm

This is an important location for the brachial plexus. There are some musculocutaneous nerves, the upper part of the radial nerve, the median nerve, and the ulnar nerve all radiate downward from this location.

The armpits and inner sides of the upper arms are also "dangerous areas" | complete anatomy

At the same time, there are blood vessels like the brachial artery. If you directly hit the area near the armpit or the inner side of the upper arm, it is very easy to cause nerve or blood vessel damage.

05Inner side of the elbow

There is a bulge on the inside of the elbow joint, and a bony structure is the ulnar nerve groove, through which the ulnar nerve passes. Sometimes after hitting the "numb tendon", you will feel numbness in your forearm or hand, which is what I mean. This position cannot be touched directly with a fascia gun, otherwise it will be very "numb".

ulnar nerve at elbow | complete anatomy

06Outer side of the knee joint——head of fibula

We can touch along the outside of the knee joint from top to bottom, and we can feel a bulge at the upper end of the calf, which is the fibular head. There is a common peroneal nerve around the fibular head, so the fascia gun should never touch the area around the fibular head to avoid damage to the common peroneal nerve.

Common peroneal nerve on the outside of the knee | complete anatomy

07Populiteum behind the knee

People often report that they feel pain in the back of the knee. Can they use a fascial gun to treat it? Answer: Absolutely not! Because the popliteal artery, tibial nerve, and common peroneal nerve all pass through the popliteal fossa, so the fascial gun should never be used to treat the popliteal fossa.

The popliteal fossa behind the knee is very complicated | complete anatomy

After talking about so many taboos, which parts are relatively safe? Generally speaking, parts with fuller muscles are relatively safe, such as the gluteal muscles in the buttocks, the quadriceps in the front of the thigh, the hamstrings in the back of the thigh, and the triceps in the back of the calf. Moreover, these muscles mentioned above are also the parts where people often feel stiff and sore, and they can be safely operated with the fascia gun.

How to deal with tight and stiff muscles when you don't want to use or can't use a fascia gun? In fact, more traditional methods, such as manual massage, hot compress, stretching and other conventional methods are very effective methods for muscle stiffness and tension.

In short, there is a certain theoretical support for the fascia gun to relieve pain, relax muscles, and promote circulation by vibrating local tissues. However, there are many brands of fascia guns on the market, and the quality varies. There are even some domestic copycat fascia guns that are directly modified using decoration tools (such as jigsaws). Because this type of product was not designed to be used on the human body, its strength and vibration frequency are unverified, and it may cause additional swelling, pain, and even soft tissue contusion in local tissues.

Therefore, if you want to use a fascia gun, I still recommend that you choose a relatively professional brand. If you have no experience, you can refer to the manufacturer's teaching video. More importantly, you must remember the above taboos to avoid additional injuries.

References

[1] Robert Schleip,Heike Jäger,Werner Klingler. What is 'fascia'? A review of different nomenclatures[J]. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies,2012,16(4).

[2] B Dawson,S Gow,S Modra,D Bishop,G Stewart. Effects of immediate post-game recovery procedures on muscle soreness, power and flexibility levels over the next 48 hours[J]. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport,2005,8(2).

[3]. The Role of Fascia in Resting Muscle Tone and Heat Induced Relaxation[J]. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies,2008,12(4).

[4]Annika Griefahn, Jan Oehlmann, Christoff Zalpour, Harry von Piekartz. Do exercises with the Foam Roller have a short-term impact on the thoracolumbar fascia? – A randomized controlled trial[J]. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 2016.

Author: Huang Tao

Editor: odette

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