Percussor Do’s and Don’ts
Materials needed: Percussive device
Over the past few years, percussive devices or “massage guns” have gone from being a tool only used by practitioners to readily available for anyone to purchase and use at home. In today’s video, Dr. Ulery will go over some important do’s and don’ts of using a percussive device.
Don’t percuss (or stay away from these areas):
1) Breast tissue
2) Open wounds
3) If you have cancer
4) If you have deep vein thrombosis or a blood clotting disorder
5) Fractures
6) Areas of infection
7) Unless you have specific training, be sure to avoid using the percussive device on the head, jaw, and upper neck to prevent injury
8) Any areas that you suspect it might be a bad idea to percuss
9) If you are unsure whether it is safe to percuss a certain area, ask your healthcare practitioner
Do’s:
1) Focus on treating soft tissue primarily (i.e. – muscles and where muscles attach)
2) Teat in both stretched and relaxed positions
3) Percuss lightly with movement starting away from the body moving towards the center of the body
Lastly, Dr. Ulery recommends only using the percussive device on the lowest settings (either 1 or 2).