If you see someone greeting you with an "electric drill" in the gym, don't be nervous, 80% of the "relaxation artifacts" in their hands are fascia guns, which have become popular in the fitness circle in recent years.

Fascia gun, the full name is "muscle fascia relaxation massage gun" (most of the products are indeed shaped like guns). According to the official description of most manufacturers, the fascia gun uses its internal special high-speed motor to drive the "gun head", which produces high-frequency vibration to the deep muscles to reduce local tissue tension, relieve pain, and promote blood circulation. In short, it is very comfortable after use.

Can this seemingly dangerous thing really do these things? Are you sure it's not an IQ tax?

1. Is the fascia gun really that magical?

To answer this question, we must first understand two things: first, what is the function of fascia; The second is why the muscles are 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 is the superficial fascia located in the subcutaneous tissue; the second type is the deep fascia that covers the surface of the muscle, which is also the main content we are discussing today; The third type is visceral fascia, which has a certain effect of fixing the position of internal organs.

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 has shown that fascia can actively contract due to the presence of smooth muscle-like fibroblasts, which affects musculoskeletal dynamics. [1]

In the process of exercise, the muscles are innervated, and sometimes the muscles can be relaxed after exercise, but the nerves are still in an excited state, which may lead to continuous tension and stiffness in the muscles. In addition, in some high-intensity exercise or fatigue from maintaining a posture for a long time, there may be minor damage to muscles and fascia. Some people also develop cable-like tissues in the fascia/muscle space, which can also cause changes in tension within the tissue, causing discomfort. In addition, during high-intensity exercise, the body's energy and substance metabolism and the body's self-protection mechanism may also cause muscle/fascial discomfort [2].

Understanding the above two points, we can better understand how the fascia gun uses the principle of muscle resonance to apply force to the fascia, and thereby achieve the purpose of relaxing the muscles: the fascia gun first acts on the muscle fascia covering the muscle surface, and under the dual action of physical stimulation and muscle heating, the elastic ductility of the muscle fascia will increase, and the fascia gun uses this principle to relax the muscles of the body. [3]

It should be noted that there is no direct randomized controlled trial at home and abroad to verify the effectiveness of fascia guns, and the only close one is the study of vibrating foam rollers.

Vibrating foam rollers can also relax the fascia, and randomized controlled trials have found that the use of foam rolling exercises significantly improves thoracolumbar fascia mobility in healthy young people. [4]

But at the same time, the test also unclosed the limitations of vibrating foam rollers, that is, due to the limited volume, vibrating foam rollers are more suitable for relaxing the back and buttocks, while fascia guns are more accurate, which can relax the target parts of the body from all angles and relieve fatigue.

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

2. Before using the fascia gun, these taboos must be remembered

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

01 Side of the neck

It is not recommended for the side of the neck, or even the front of the neck. Because these positions are very densely packed with nerves and blood vessels, if you feel a little tense in this position on the side, you can relax with traction, but do not use a fascia gun to hit the side of the cervical spine directly, which is very dangerous.

When suddenly subjected to physical pressure or blow, cardiovascular reflexes will be produced, causing blood pressure to drop and heart rate to slow down, resulting in instant insufficient blood supply or interruption of the brain, and some people may even experience extreme situations such as fainting and cardiac arrest. There are many blood vessels in the neck, so the use of fascia guns is not recommended

02 There is a bulge in the bone

For example, in the middle of the spine, these bones that protrude with their heads down are called spinous processes. There is also a bony bulge above the shoulder blade called the scapula, which is the supraspinatus muscle above and the infraspinatus muscle below. There are many signs of similar bony bulges on the body. In principle, if you can touch the bone directly with your hand, you cannot use this gun to hit the bone directly. Otherwise, in addition to severe pain, it may also cause soft tissue damage.

03 Inner side of the clavicle

The upper shoulder is a very sore area, generally speaking, it is okay to use a fascia gun to hit the upper trapezius muscle from back to front, but do not hit it close to the collarbone. Because behind the clavicle and in front of the superior trapezius fascicle, it is the channel for the cervical spine to launch the brachial plexus, and there is also a subclavian artery on the posteromedial side of the clavicle.

Generally speaking, when performing surgery, for example, brachial plexus anesthesia, it is also along the inside of the collarbone to find this position, so if you feel uncomfortable in this position, it is very easy to cause damage with a fascia gun.

04 Armpits and the inside of the arms

This is an important location for the brachial plexus. There are some musculocutaneous nerves, the upper part of the radial nerve, as well as the median nerve, and the ulnar nerve, all of which are launched down from this position.

At the same time, there are also blood vessels such as the brachial artery, which are very prone to nerve or blood vessel damage if they go directly to the area near the armpit or the inside of the arm.

05 The medial side of the elbow joint

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

06 Lateral knee joint - small head of the fibula

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

07 Posterior knee fossa - popliteal fossa

People often report that the back of the knee is sore, can you hit it with a fascia gun? Answer: Absolutely not! Because in the position of the popliteal fossa, the popliteal artery, tibial nerve, and common peroneal nerve all pass through this position, so the fascia gun should never hit the popliteal fossa.

After talking about so many taboos, which positions are safer? Generally speaking, parts with fuller muscles are relatively safe, such as the gluteal muscles of the buttocks, the quadriceps muscles of the front of the thighs, the posterior femoris muscles of the back of the thighs, and the triceps of the calves on the back of the calves. Moreover, these muscles mentioned above are also parts that everyone often has stiffness and soreness, and they can be operated with a fascia gun with confidence.

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

In short, there is some theoretical support for fascial guns 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 is uneven, and there are even some domestic copycat fascia guns, which are directly modified using decoration tools (such as jigsaws). Because this type of product is not designed for use in the human body from the beginning, its strength and vibration frequency are unverified, which 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 instructional video. It is more important to remember the above taboos to avoid additional damage.

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 flexiblity 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.