Do Percussion and Vibration Massagers Really Work?

When I first went after a runner I coach with my new Hypervolt percussive massager, she looked terrified. And rightfully so! It looks and sounds a lot like a power drill. So, when I walked toward her, grinning maniacally, brandishing this machine, she had every reason to think I'd lost my mind. But, as I explained to her, what looks and sounds like a power tool is actually a massage device that promises to do things like increase range of motion before a workout, prepare muscles for activity, and relieve delayed muscle soreness after a workout.

The popularity of these vibrating and percussing devices is hard to miss these days. I see constant ads for them in my social media feeds and in targeted browser ads alike. Slow-motion videos of fit-looking individuals pressing these devices into their quads, glutes, lats, and pecs causing mesmerizingly relaxing waves to cascade through their skin have been tempting me for months. So I finally gave in. And you know what? I like it!

The pseudoscience of recovery

If you've followed Get-Fit Guy over the years, you'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. Especially after reading the book Good to Go and interviewing its author, Christie Ashwandan about the hits and misses of the science of recovery. But what kind of coach and fitness writer would I be if I didn’t keep myself up to date with the latest tools?

Before I get into any of the science behind these power tools, vibrating balls, and rumble rollers, let me remind you of something that has come up a few times in the past (most recently in the episode about pneumatic compression pants): If something makes you feel better—and isn’t causing any harm—isn’t that enough?

If something makes you feel better—and isn’t causing any harm—isn’t that enough?

After all, recovering from a hard workout is essentially about feeling ready to hit your next workout with vim and vigor. However that refresh happens—whether its from your most powerful recovery tool, sleep, or wearing inflatable pants, or vibrating the bejeebers out of your muscles with a crazy-looking device—it might not matter all that much if you have a ton of scientific literature to back up its effectiveness.

But luckily, we do have scientific evidence for the effectiveness of percussion and vibration massage. I'll get to that in a minute.

Are the percussion and vibration massager benefits worth the price tag?

Of course, the...

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