Research article - (2020)19, 690 - 694
The Acute Effects of a Percussive Massage Treatment with a Hypervolt Device on Plantar Flexor Muscles’ Range of Motion and Performance
Andreas Konrad, Christoph Glashüttner, Marina Maren Reiner, Daniel Bernsteiner, Markus Tilp
Institute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, A-8010 Graz, Austria

Andreas Konrad
✉ Institute of Human Movement Science, Sport and Health, University of Graz, Mozartgasse 14, A-8010 Graz, Austria
Email: andreas.konrad@uni-graz.at
Received: 31-08-2020 -- Accepted: 19-09-2020
Published (online): 19-11-2020

ABSTRACT

Handheld percussive massage treatment has gained popularity in recent years, for both therapeutic use and in sports practice. It is used with the goals of increasing flexibility and performance, but also to accelerate recovery. However, until now, there has been no scientific evidence, which proves such effects. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a 5-min percussion treatment of the calf muscles on range of motion (ROM) and maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) torque of the plantar flexor muscles. Sixteen healthy male volunteers (mean ± SD; 27.2 ± 4.2 years, 1.79 ± 0.05 m, 79.4 ± 9.1 kg) were tested on two separate days with either a 5-min massage treatment of the calf muscles with a Hypervolt device or the control condition (sitting only). Before and after the treatments, dorsiflexion ROM and MVC torque of the plantar flexor muscles were measured with a dynamometer. Maximum dorsiflexion ROM increased with a large magnitude following the massage treatment by 5.4° (+18.4%; p = 0.002, d= 1.36), while there was no change in the control group. Moreover, MVC torque did not change following both the massage treatment and the control treatment. Similar to a conventional massage by a therapist, ROM can be increased by a handheld percussive massage treatment without having an effect on muscle strength.

Key words: Theragun, percussion, vibration massage, massage therapy, massage gun

Key Points
  • This study was the first to examine the effect of a 5-min handheld percussive massage treatment of the calf muscles on the ROM and muscle performance (MVC) of the plantar flexor muscles.
  • Dorsiflexion ROM increased following the percussive massage treatment
  • Since we found no changes in MVC, we suggest including a percussive massage treatment in a warm-up regimen to optimize the flexibility level of an athlete, without losing muscle performance








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