The WAVE5 Trigger Point App Optimizes Your Massage Gun, Making It Better
With portability, ease of use and immediate relief being some of the top motivators of recovery devices, percussion massage guns are trendy (in spite of the high price tag). The approach to these muscle massage guns is similar: Users perform a percussion massage that sends a series of rapid blows into the soft tissue with the intention of tissue repair. While these percussion guns are user-friendly, WAVE5’s app, WAVE5: Compass, can help you take their use to another level and unlock even greater recovery benefits.
WAVE5: Compass’ digital library shows you over 100 “how-to” videos covering the body from head to toe, making the app an ideal mobile companion for percussion guns and other massager tools like foam rollers. WAVE5: Compass provides: (1) a comprehensive anatomical roadmap for you to follow during treatment recovery session, (2) a guided tempo optimal for relief and recovery, (3) structured sessions focused on relaxing muscles for greater effectiveness, and (4) post-session plans that will give your percussion or rolling therapy longer-lasting results.
- Stay within the lines. Follow the path of the pain for targeted muscle release.
Tip: Follow your muscle striations with your massage gun to complement your body’s engineering.
All of WAVE5’s videos follow the direction of your muscle fibers when targeting a body region or joint. This means you perform all movements along the striations or with the “grain” of your muscle. Each video guides you from one end of the muscle to the other then works back to where you started.
Following these designated paths increases the effectiveness of your massage gun. Why? First, you treat the entire affected muscle line from beginning to end as the pain you feel currently isn’t always the source. Targeting only the painful spot usually won’t solve the problem because the root cause of the muscle pain is more global (not just in one concentrated area) or found elsewhere.
Second, WAVE5 gives you a “double dose” of pressure as we return along the same muscle line you just completed. This is significant for two reasons.
- The first pass along the muscle line introduces pressure to the tissue which prepares it for more pressure making the second pass more effective than the first.
- The initial round of pressure pushes fluids away from the heart while the return of pressure works with your body’s filtration–the Lymphatic System–to promote movement of fluids back toward your heart – known as Lymphatic Drainage.
Third, following muscle lines prevents you from “crossing over” soft tissue fibers which if crossed can trigger pain and discomfort. Traveling across fibers or against the “grain” at a high rate of speed can cause involuntary muscle spasms, strains, jerking, or a painful experience.
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Tip: Targeted tissue will yield greater pain relief if you move slowly.
The speed at which you target tissue is critical to a successful recovery. WAVE5: Compass guides your tempo using a visual and auditory timer. The speed of percussion on a massage gun (that is the rate at which the tip massages) moves quickly which makes it easy for the user to glide over the muscle at a rapid pace. This may feel efficient and effective, but using a slow and steady tempo better serves your muscles. To yield the best results, resist the urge to go fast.
Integrate the pace of WAVE5’s Pulse technique (the rate at which the Pulse travels) when treating muscles. This allows each part of your tissue to receive the attention it needs and gives your muscles time to adapt and relax into the percussion. You don’t have to adjust the speed of your massager—only the pace at which the massager travels along the muscle line. Moreover, slowing your tempo gives you more control over the intensity and a better feel for how the tissue responds. If you find a tender area, this reduced tempo allows you to soften your pressure without triggering the muscle to tense, spasm, or jerk away.
- Get comfortable before you pull the trigger.
Tip: Your muscle and body will feel a significant difference if you’re relaxed.
Your body will reap greater rewards from your massage gun if you fully relax the target area and muscles around it during treatment. WAVE5’s Pulse places a large emphasis on relaxing the area you’re targeting and using a pressure level that falls somewhere between “that feels really good” and “ouch that hurts”. A consciously relaxed muscle is less likely to contract during your session and reduces unwanted next-day soreness. This relaxed state also plays a vital role in how your muscles respond to the pressure and the overall success of your therapy.
If a professional (i.e., trainer, physical therapist, etc.) uses a percussion gun on you then it’s easier for you to find a position that takes the tension out of the region you’re targeting. However, if you’re performing massage on yourself, finding a position that permits you to relax the target area and your body is critical.
- It’s a team effort. Target other muscle groups to ease chronic tension.
Tip: Follow WAVE5’s guided tour of the body to help you stay one step ahead of your pain and on the road to a faster recovery.
Targeting areas with your massage gun that are contributing to your pain—that is regions outside of the immediate region ailing you—will enhance your recovery. WAVE5: Compass was designed to take the guesswork out of where to go next on your recovery journey by guiding your therapy from one region to another. Why? Because pain isn’t limited to the current ailing muscle. Your body compensates for a painful area by “asking” other muscles to assist in ways for which they weren’t designed. In fact, by the time you hear from one muscle, there are other muscles that are waiting for their turn to “speak up”.
WAVE5: Compass systemically walks you from one region to another based on how your muscles work together and the feedback you provide in the app. The app asks you how you feel after each session and then advises were to target next based on the information you provide.
Tools make tasks easier for us to perform and massage guns are no exception. Understanding how to utilize your percussion gun to its potential exponentially increases its value. When you use WAVE5’s app with your pressure routine, you enhance the benefits of your massage gun. WAVE5: Compass is your step-by-step guide to maximizing your percussion therapy and results in longer-lasting benefits.