We all know how our bodies feel after leg day: the ‘too sore to move’, ‘avoiding steps at all costs’, and ‘I’m never doing leg day again’ kind of feeling. This same feeling comes after the first day of preseason, getting back in a fitness routine, or a long day of yard work. Luckily, you don’t have to sit around and wait to feel better again with percussive therapy, using our Power Massagers. More powerful and quieter than ever before, the Power Massagers are perfect for targeting lower body pain when you need it most. At TimTam, we want you to get the most out of your recovery, which is why we’ve made a guide to using the PowerMassager on your lower body, covering how to maximize your recovery efforts on:

• Quads
• Adductors
• Calves
• Hamstrings
• Feet

USING THE POWER MASSAGER ON YOUR QUADS

PREVENT THIGH STRAINS AND SPEED UP RECOVERY

All athletes have experienced that tight, aching feeling in the quads. While a larger muscle group, your quads are especially at risk for muscle strain because they cross both your hip and knee joints. These joints can cause your quads to be stretched beyond their limit during eccentric muscle contraction. Contractions cause the smallest muscle fibers in your quads to partially or completely. A small amount of force can be the difference between a sore “micro-tear” and a complete rupture resulting in significant loss of strength and mobility.

To prevent muscle strains, it’s important to stay loose and warm before working out. Inadequate warmups, fatigue, and tightness can increase your risk of a muscle strain. To tackle these issues, TimTam reminds you that recovery starts before your workout. Before a big lift, sprint, or game, always take time to warm up with 10 minutes of light cardio, dynamic stretching, and percussive massage with the Power Massager. The Power Massager can help to prime your muscles for heavy loads and prevent injury in your quads.

After your workout, use percussive massage on your quads. We recommend using an up and down motion, covering the entire muscle group with steady and light pressure. Stay attentive to areas of your muscles that give you a little bit of kickback: these are knots or myofascial trigger points. If found, apply more pressure to these areas, or  switch out your tip for a metal trigger point tip to apply more pressure to these areas.

Not only does the percussive therapy relax tight muscles and fascia, but it can help restore blood flow to the area. Increased blood flow can help repair the muscle and retain a full range of motion after a tough workout.

USING THE POWER MASSAGER ON HIP ADDUCTORS

TARGETING 5 CRUCIAL MUSCLES IN YOUR ADDUCTORS

Your hip adductors are the muscles located on your inner thigh that are responsible for hip rotation and leg stability. Composed of five muscles, hip adductors can be easily strained or injured if you’re constantly in motion and changing direction as an athlete.

While it’s fully possible to massage  hip adductors on your own, using a partner for massage on your hip adductors can be particularly beneficial. To massage on your own, we recommend sitting down with your knee bent upward and to the side (like you’re sitting criss-cross applesauce) with your shin perpendicular to your thigh. Gently apply the Power Massager along your adductors, noting points of kickback. These pressure points are knots or myofascial trigger points that will need additional attention.

If you’re using a partner to massage your adductors, it may be easier to locate these trigger points and be more attentive to the points in which the muscles need more pressure. However, partner application can cause tickling of the inner thigh, which can inhibit your ability to massage effectively. Use caution as a partner, allowing the patient time to adjust to the massage at all points of contact before beginning to apply full pressure.

USING THE POWER MASSAGER ON YOUR CALVES

QUICK, SIMPLE RECOVERY FOR A VITAL LEG MUSCLE

Your calves are composed of two different muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles work together to plantarflex (point the toes and pull the heel up), thus making walking, running, and jumping possible.

Luckily, both training and recovering the muscles is fairly simple. While sitting down, use percussive massage on the relaxed calf muscles. Ensure your calves are relaxed by letting your foot hang or resting it flat on the floor while sitting. Apply extra pressure to knots or trigger points found along the way.

Calf massages help  stimulate the lymphatic system and prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).. The lymphatic system helps remove waste products like lactic acid in the muscle which is a contributing factor in DOMS.

USING THE POWER MASSAGER ON YOUR HAMSTRINGS

Source:verywellfit

Located along the back of your leg and responsible for flexing at the knee, the hamstrings are one of the largest and most important muscle groups that keep you moving. However, since hamstrings are engaged during almost all locomotive movement, they can easily take on large stresses and loads during change of direction movements.

Luckily, hamstrings are very receptive to percussive therapy. Not only does  percussion help ease the pain of sore hamstrings, but it can speed recovery of microtears and loosen tension caused by overuse. For treatment, we recommend focusing on each muscle in your hamstrings separately rather than as a complete muscle group. After locating the muscle, apply the Power Massager for 1-2 minutes along each muscle. Focus on treating the muscle as a whole, then reapply more treatment to tender areas with a trigger point metal tip.

USING POWER MASSAGER ON YOUR FEET

SIMPLE APPLICATION FOR ASTOUNDING RELIEF

Image Source: Beverly Childress Creative

While your foot is probably the easiest location on your body to massage, it is also the location that needs the most caution. The feet have small bones in them and it’s extremely important to apply massage techniques correctly and carefully.

For this reason, we recommend directing massage  to the arches of the feet. Be sure to turn on the Power Massager before applying to your skin. While seated, slowly work in crescent motions on the arches of the feet. For a more intense massage, try switching out for a metal tip, being mindful of pressure and placement to avoid the bones in your feet.

The muscles in your lower body need some serious love after a tough workout. Check out our  PowerMassagers now to get started with the lower body massage techniques your body deserves.