The impact of protocol designs for using massage guns on lower body flexibility: A randomised cross-over design study

Abstract

Introduction: Current protocols for delivering percussive therapy (PT) using massage guns are heterogeneous creating a need to establish the impact of study design on physiological measures. This cross-over design study aimed to determine the most effective protocol, among the eight protocols examined, on lower body flexibility, and to support the provision of protocol validation for future research.

Method: Recreationally active healthy adults (n = 35) undertook two main protocols; three sessions per week at 2100 rpm or increasing the speed from session-to-session: 1750 to 2100-2400 rpm. PT was applied for 60 s to each of the quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings and calves of both legs. Paired-samples t-tests assessed pre- and post-intervention data for hip flexion and ankle dorsi-flexion range of motion (ROM). These were collected in all sessions using a digital goniometer allowing changes for eight different protocols to be examined.

Results: Results showed the most effective protocol, among the eight protocols examined, for achieving significant gains in lower body flexibility is applying massage gun PT three times a week with increased speeds across sessions (1750-2100-2400 rpm), with average increases for the combined dominant and non-dominant legs of 5.8% for hip flexion and 5.6% ankle dorsiflexion.

Conclusions: Practitioners and the public using this protocol could target specific improvements in hip flexion and ankle dorsi-flexion ROM and researchers may wish to adopt this protocol to allow homogenous analysis across study populations in future research.