The Correct Way to Use a Theragun: Tennis Edition

Tennis players are known for their high level of skill and athleticism. Although this high intensity doesn't come without cost. Tennis is hard on the body and, therefore, requires a comprehensive recovery regime.

To help you ease tennis related joint and muscle pain, here, we demonstrate how a Theragun percussion massager can help you return to the court pain free.

How to Use a Theragun Percussion Massager for Tennis

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head:

• Dampener
• Standard Ball
• Thumb
• Supersoft

Method:

For general tension in areas like the legs and arms, use a large attachment and directly massage the entire area for about 2-minutes. Use a smooth backward and forward motion that targets both small and large muscle groups. For more painful areas or knots, start by massaging the surrounding area and slowly move inwards towards the pain point. Stop when you feel relief or if the area becomes too sensitive to continue.

Wrist, Hand, and Feet Soreness

Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head:

• Cone
• Wedge
• Supersoft

Method:

For the feet, take the appropriate attachment - either the cone or wedge - and gently run the massager head across the sorest areas. Start underneath on the arches, moving the massage gun from the heel towards the toes. After a minute or so, move over onto the top of the foot, paying particular attention to the areas between the metatarsal bones.

For the wrist, use the supersoft head and a low speed setting - 1750ppm will do the job. Avoiding the bone, work your way around the top of the wrist, targeting the small muscles and tendons that make your tennis swing possible.

And for the hands, start from the top of the wrist and run the massager head between the metacarpal bones towards the finger webbing. Massage both the outer side of the hand and the palm.

Tennis Elbow

Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head:

• Dampener
• Standard Ball
• Thumb

Method:

For best results, target tennis elbow pain with one of the larger attachments. Begin by massaging the small muscle groups on either side of the elbow joint. Slowly work your way around the arm, but pay particular attention to the forearm muscle and the tricep muscles that attach at the top of the elbow joint.

To finish, target the bicep muscle, starting at the elbow crease and working upwards towards the front deltoid muscle.

Knee Pain

Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head:

• Dampener
• Standard Ball
• Thumb
• Wedge

Method:

To alleviate knee pain, start with the wedge attachment and treat the IT bands first. Use a scraping motion, working from the hip joint towards the knee. Then, swap over to one of the other larger attachments and begin targeting the lower quadriceps muscle group, progressively working closer to the knee joint.

Next, move on down to the front of the lower leg. In particular, target the tibialis anterior and peroneus longus muscles.

Shoulder Pain and Rotator Cuff Injuries

Recommended Massage Gun Attachment Head:

• Dampener
• Standard Ball
• Thumb
• Wedge

Method:

To begin, warm up the upper trapezius muscle with the wedge or standard ball attachment. Working from the base of the neck down towards the top of the shoulder joint.

Then, attach the dampener or thumb and target the front deltoids. To finish, move on over to the rear deltoids - spending around 30 seconds to a minute on each area.