Using a massage gun to treat sore and painful hamstrings is easy.
Whether you’re an athlete or not, the hamstrings play a part in vital everyday activities like walking and running. Athletes, in particular, are careful to maintain hamstring strength because these muscles affect any movement requiring speed, directional change, and deceleration. Because of its importance in movement, it’s also one of the most frequently injured muscles in sports. Over a 10-year period alone, an average of 5-6 injuries per team per season in the NFL can be attributed to the hamstrings.
But even a regular person can experience hamstring pain. The culprit? Prolonged sitting. And if you think it’s because of old age, you’d be mistaken because the mean age of participants in a study published in the Saudi Journal of Sports Medicine was just 20 years.
Not to worry though. HYDRAGUN has your back or legs (actually we got your entire body. In fact, you can easily get a Hydragun by clicking here.)
HYDRAGUN is a massage gun that utilizes percussion therapy to provide rapid bursts of pressure into muscle tissues. This helps alleviate the pain from sore muscles. In part 4 of this series, we talk about how to use your HYDRAGUN for relieving sore hamstrings.
The Attachment Heads
Your HYDRAGUN comes with 7 attachment heads – 4 regular and 3 stainless steel.
The ball attachment is recommended for large muscle groups. The fork has dual-point targeting and is great for deeper penetration of medium muscle groups. The bullet head is recommended for pinpoint targeting of tight knots.
The flat heads are recommended for larger muscle groups, and provide less pin-point pressure massages.
You can use your HYDRAGUN all over the body, from the neck, shoulders, torso, legs, and feet.
Using a Massage Gun on the Hamstrings
The hamstrings are a collection of three muscles:
· Biceps femoris
· Semitendinosus
· Semimembranosus
These muscles extend from the thigh to the knee. The primary function of these muscles is to help bend the knees and extend the hips.
Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head to Use:
- For warm-ups, cool-downs, between sets, and for recovery – ball
- For deep, tight knots – fork or bullet head
How to:
1. Choose the attachment.
2. Turn the HYDRAGUN massage gun on and choose the speed setting.
3. Apply HYDRAGUN to the body.
For warm-ups and between sets:
1. Start at the origin of the muscle. Let the HYDRAGUN glide back and forth across muscle fibers for 15 seconds.
2. Then move the HYDRAGUN to the muscle insertion, moving down and up in a gliding motion for another 15 seconds.
3. Finally, take another 15 seconds and run the massage gun along all muscle fibers.
4. Do this on each leg.
For cool-downs and recovery:
1. To increase blood flow and release tension, float the HYDRAGUN across all the muscle fibers.
2. Move the gun from side to side and then back and forth.
3. Do this for a minimum of 120 seconds (2 minutes).
4. Repeat on the other leg.
For deep and tight knots:
For tighter knots, use a bullet or forkhead attachment. Let the HYDRAGUN rest on the tight area for a few seconds.
Tip: Recommended attachment heads are just that – suggestions. HYDRAGUN can easily be customized depending on your needs so feel free to choose which attachment head and speed works best for you.
Hamstrings are very important for load management between hips and knees. For best results, couple your massage session with stretching exercises. These help strengthen the muscles and are effective in protecting against strain. Do not overexert the muscles and stop immediately if you feel any pain. With the right tools and methods, maintaining hamstring health and flexibility is possible.
(See more usage and safety tips here.)
No HYDRAGUN yet? Get HYDRAGUN here.
