Percussive Therapy

This is very practical.  Massage therapy is difficult to apply by hand yet its primary purpose is to do about as much. Obviously it needs to be come part of everyone's home fitness program as well.

Stimulating blood flow is something that needs to be addressed, particularly in the aging body.  This is what actually deteriorates physically as we age.  All our blood circulation issues can only be worsened by inefficient blood flow.  

Thus a device such as this is well recommended and apply it daily.   In fact i would particularly focus on our feet.  It is here that blood issues crop up first. .  

Percussive Therapy

Published on February 24, 2017 

http://drsircus.com/general/percussive-therapy/

​I must apologize to my readership for not publishing about this amazing therapy machine before. I have been using it for about three years, almost on a daily basis, and like my Biomat and Breathslim device, really, I would not know how to live without one. My only excuse was I thought it was very expensive but just found out, by calling the company this morning, that it was less than half the price I thought (1,100.00 dollars Vs 2,500).

Though it was designed and used by Chiropractors it is small enough to be used at home on oneself though we can always plead with our loved ones to do our backs. Just for starters, if you are tired of having to live with achy muscles and joints and want to have some control this machine is for you. Not that we can always cure the sources of our pain and suffering but it sure is nice to be able to do something about the pain besides drugging ourselves to death.

Percussive massage accelerates the growth and repair of tissues by providing concentrated, rapid, short-duration pulses deep into the tissues of the body. This heavily increases blood flow to the area causing pain relief and an increasing range of motion and function. Percussive massage also provides a gentle stretch to the muscles and connective tissues improving responsiveness and performance.

Percussive Therapy utilize specific vibratory percussive forces that aim at soft tissue structures that surround joint capsules such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons, the most important tissues involved in joint motion. This kind of therapy increases the overall range of motion leaving a person more relaxed and free of pain. When I feel stressed (just about every day) I give myself 20 to thirty minutes of self-administered Percussion Therapy.

One can continue treatment until you experience a great measure of relief. The galvanic wave action provides comfort and is very effective for releasing muscles. The compression waves promote an increase in circulation and lymphatic flow and a decrease in muscle spasm. The machine can also be used to ‘warm-up’ muscles and set proper tonus prior to athletic events. The instrument can also be used following an event, or exercising, to ‘flush’ muscles and minimize soreness. Additionally, these waves heighten neurological awareness of specific areas of the body and facilitate energetic normalization.

My work with massage and touch goes deep:

Regular massage is an effective way of lowering stress hormone cortisol levels so I recommend magnesium massage for all cancer patients. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which is generally considered to be one of the world’s top-ranked cancer hospitals. recognizes the importance of massage for the cancer patients in order for the immune system to recover and to prevent new cancer cell mutations.

We must remember and be sensitive to our stress levels because stress suppress immune system functioning and is directly linked to premature death, depression, stress and cancer.

Going a little deeper:

We are born with an intense skin hunger. Babies have a deep need for touch and if not forthcoming healthy development is interfered with. Touch is a God given need that we never outgrow and it can be enjoyed for its own sake, not just as a prelude to sex. As adults we have a strong need to hold hands, be held in someone’s arms, to hug, receive a nonsexual massage, have our face or arms stroked, be cuddled, caressed, etc.

I am not for a moment suggesting that anyone substitute human touch for a machine. However, even when loved, when we are sick or in pain, we do not have touch on demand. If we wake up in the middle of night and in pain, we might need touch but it’s not available. Therefore, this kind of therapy with the precussor gives you therapeutic touch on demand. Massage therapy, when we do not have someone in the family who can give us magnesium massages, are quite expensive so a percussor pays for itself quickly.

The Erchonia Percussor instrument delivers its energy in variable speeds. Erchonia Percussor treatments aren’t just a massage though one is able to give oneself one. Percussor therapy is a safe and effective procedure used to treat the pain and discomfort associated with a number of soft tissue dysfunctions as well as for helping to retain and restore muscle balance by releasing the tension or restriction caused by dysfunctional fascia. Using a mechanical percussor to deliver steady, even impulses directly to the connective tissue and muscles of the body is a wonderful experience.

 

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From migraines associated with chronic TMJ to persistent lower back pain, percussor therapy can significantly reduce chronic pain. Excessive tightening of muscles or even areas with scar tissue can cause overall stiffening of the muscles resulting in pain.

Tight muscles and scar tissue, can be alleviated through percussor therapy. For muscle pain, percussors rely on trigger point therapy to release the tightened muscles. They work by breaking up scar tissue and adhesions in the body’s fascia which cause restricted motion or pain. When it comes to muscle injury, the fascia contracts to protect the muscles from injury and causing surrounding muscles to take on the job of the injured muscle. The problem arises when these surrounding muscles are incapable of the performing the desired job and in trying to do so, your body strains what had become the helper muscle.

The percussor is able to break down the fascia that has constricted and formed knots. Fascia is part of the connective tissue system that protects organs, bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels, while fascia in its non-stretchy form makes up tendons. Essentially fascia extends throughout the entire human body forming a protective barrier.

The percussor is successful even with older chronic pain ridden areas. The percussor releases vibrations which penetrate through the various fascia layers promoting muscles to relax and release latent lactic acid and allowing lymphatic drainage.

Percussive massage can expedite the rehabilitation process of muscles that have been injured due to trauma, surgery or disease. The contractions caused by percussive massage help to strengthen muscles of individuals who may not be able to participate in physical therapy. Percussive massage can be used in patients with partial or full paralysis. The muscle contractions caused by percussive massage stimulate the muscles and prevents non-use atrophy while also improving reflex responses in which the nerves respond to stimulation.

I recommend the Erchonia Percussor, it is heavy duty and designed to last many years in a clinical setting so at home one is guaranteed many years of use. There are other less heavy units on the market that I have not personally tested. Below is the G-5 Vibracare Percussion Massager at 448.00 dollars. Perhaps this would be best for more frail patients that would find the Erchonia Percussor too heavy to hold comfortably.

This large percussion device below might be fine if one has someone else in the house to administer the treatment. It costs 589.00 dollars but is not near as useful for all the applications its smaller cousins provide.