Pregnancy changes everything, even from the day you learn that you are pregnant you are not like what you were before.
Your daily life routine changes and you do everything with the mind that you are pregnant and that particular exercise or job should not harm your baby.
It is a physical as well as an emotional rollercoaster ride that you enjoy a lot but suffers too.
Anxiety, body aching, and mood swings are common symptoms of pregnancy, that’s why many women’s pregnancies massage.
It is a time-tested method and has provided its efficiency against body aching and anxiety that pregnant women face a lot.
That’s the reason you see DIY massage guns are taking fame, and getting familiar among pregnant women.
With the gun, pregnant women can use the percussion and vibration of the massage gain to soothe the sore muscles and increase the blood circulation throughout the body.
Getting muscles soothed and anxiety relieved is one part but the real question here is, are massage guns safe for pregnant women?
Can you use a massage gun when you are pregnant after all, pregnancy is a sensitive thing and you can’t put yourself at unnecessary risk?
So, in this post, we are going to get this question answered, and going to give you in-depth knowledge to remove all your ambiguities.
Let’s first discuss the benefits a pregnancy massage brings to a women’s life, then we will move ahead.
Benefits of Pregnancy Massage
Pregnancy massage is not a new thing, overages women have been taking pregnancy massage to relieve stress and anxiety to get comfort and relaxation.
It reduces muscle tension, and soreness and increases overall health being. These are some amazing benefits of pregnancy massage.
Regulation of Hormone Production
Uneven hormones production is the biggest side-effect for pregnant women. That leads to mood swings, you would never know why you are happy or sad.
As per the latest study conducted, massage therapy increases the even hormone production that leads to relaxation and stress reeducation.
The women who took weekly therapeutic massage were found more relaxed and tension-free.
Their dopamine and serotonin hormone production were higher with a higher level of relaxation which can easily ward off depression and anxiety.
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1. Reduced Edema and Swelling
Edema is very common in the last stages of pregnancy. This is caused by higher blood volume in the body, lower blood circulation, and high pressure exerted by the uterus on other organs and blood vessels.
Edema limits your activity, sometimes and is very uncomfortable.
This too can be fixed or relieved with massage. It reduces swelling, and increases blood circulation in the body, in other words, it stimulates soft tissues and helps in dispersing fluid.
The waste gathered in the Lymphatic system removes from the system through urine, and you feel more comfortable and less anxious.
2. Increased Comfort
Sciatic nerve pains are the most common complaints of pregnant women. In the later part of the pregnancy period, this pain escalates due to the enlarged uterus exerting pressure on the lower parts of the body. Sometimes women feel pinching in their sciatic nerve and upper leg.
With massage, this nerve pain can be decreased, by reducing the pressure on the inflamed nerves.
Well in pregnancy you can’t use drugs that can put harm your baby, that’s why experts recommend therapy as the only way to get relief.
3. Improved Blood Circulation
During pregnancy, the human body produces 50-60 percent more blood, and due to pregnancy, the heart has to push more blood, so good circulation is important.
With massage therapy, exerting pressure on the soft tissue of the body, your body gets increased blood flow.
4. Better Posture
As I mentioned, pregnancy changes everything, including posture and fatal positioning.Your body gets a changed alignment due to growing baby.
Massage therapy helps you cope with the changing alignment and helps you get a healthy and uncomplicated birth.
Yes, that’s ok to get a pregnancy massage, but is it Okay to use a massage gun?
Let’s see what a massage gun does and is it good for pregnant women to have a massage using a massage gun.
What is a Massage Gun?
Massage gun replicates the human massage and provides the users with the option to enjoy massaging in their homes without hiring human assistance.
It is a handheld device that vibrates or percuss at high speed to imitate the massage effect.
With the massage gun you get the same effects and results, a massage gun too increases the blood flow, eases the pain, and promotes overall health being.
With a massage gun, you can easily take a massage at home, no need to make an appointment, they are handheld easy-to-use machines.
You can use them yourself or ask your partner to give you a deep tissue massage.
In the case of pregnant women, there are precautions. Many experts recommend some special features integrating or some special type of massage gun to provide pregnant women a healthy deep tissue massage.
But the question here arises, what is better for pregnant women, a hand massage or massage using a massage gun. Or, what is the difference between a massage gun massage or a hand massage? Let’s discuss.
Different Between Hand Massage and Massage Gun?
The entire concept of having a massage is to stimulate the tissue and increase blood circulation.
You get it done through your hand, or a massage gun there is no big difference.
Yes, if you are addicted to human-touch massage, you might not get the same relaxation or feel with a massage gun.
Nevertheless, a massage gun triggers or stimulates the muscle tissue better than a hand massage.
In my view, a massage gun is always better than a hand massage. It is better for conditioning the muscle and increasing the blood circulation or range of motion to a particular area of the body.
It is amazingly useful and beneficial, that’s why this technique is used widely in the fitness industry.
But for pregnant women it is different, maybe the particular type of massage gun you are using hurts your body. Pregnant women should never take unnecessary risks.
Your doctor is the best option, you should consult your doctor before you buy a massage gun.
Even for a hand massage too, you have to take advice from your doctor, maybe he/she could recommend an expert in the field.
Plus, always go with a licensed and certified massage therapist, and have an appointment, tell them about your condition, pregnancy, and if you have any medical condition.
Can Pregnant Women Use a Massage Gun?
The shortest answer is ‘Yes’. If you had already discussed it with your doctor and have taken the permission of having massage sessions, you can use a hand-held massage gun.
Massage guns are almost like real massages that you take from real humans.
Again, if you have a health condition besides pregnancy, you should consult your doctor about that, because in some health conditions too, you are not allowed to take massage.
But there are some areas pregnant women should refrain from taking massage. They are advised to take massage only on the shoulders, neck, and back area. They are recommended not to use the massage gun on the lower parts of the body.
Let’s discuss in detail what areas you should provide taking massage using a massage gun during Pregnancy.
Areas to avoid massaging for a pregnant woman
Keep in mind, that a pregnant women’s massage is different than a normal massage.
There are some areas where you should refrain from using a massage gun or hand massage too.
Well, massaging those areas might not have any physical harm to you, but it can harm your baby in long run.
These are areas pregnant women should avoid taking massage.
1. Belly Area
The belly and the lower part of the body is the most important area, where you should prevent taking massage.
In the case of a massage gun, you should completely avoid it, and if it is a hand massage, in that case too, try to avoid massaging it.
But, if it is an expert and you have trust in your masques, you can take him/her onboard for massaging the belly area too.
But, don’t press the area too hard, and anti-stretch creams should be used here.
2. Legs
Why the legs area should not massage by a pregnant woman when there is no harm to the baby in the area.
Actually, for pregnant women, as I mentioned above too, blood volume increases around 50-60 percent.
And due to increased blood volume, if the area is pressed, the veins can dislodge and developed a clot in the log, which can pose a health risk.
3. Pressure Points
You should avoid taking massages on pressure points. Many masseuses, especially take these areas, as they think to rejuvenate your body, pressure points massaging is important.
But for pregnant women, should avoid taking massages to those areas such as points in their wrists, between the fingers, or ankles.
Well, there is no medical evidence behind it, some say that it causes contractions in the body.
When Should a Pregnant Women Avoid Taking a massage
Again, there are some medical conditions, if pregnant women suffer from any, should avoid taking massage.
Before you even take on a massage appointment, you should consult your doctor in detail, be open in front of your doctor and explain every medical condition you are suffering from.
So, that it could be rightly evaluated, should you get a massage or not.
But, if you have any of the medical conditions we are going to mention in the section, you should completely refrain from taking massage or therapy.
1. Deep Vein Thrombosis
Pregnant women may have symptoms of DVT, it happens because of increased blood production in your body, and decreased circulations.
With more amount of blood in your body, with an exerted pressure especially in the legs, there can be clotting in your leg, leading to embolism.
Therefore, it is advised, that if you have a DVT problem, or your doctor has already mentioned it, don’t take a massage.
2. Diabetes
Even though you did not have any diabetic symptoms before, during pregnancy, you may have gestational diabetes.
So, with a massage gun, your body will have increased blood circulation, with the quicker reaching of the minerals and other contents in the body, making your gestational diabetic situation worse.
3. High-risk pregnancy
If your doctor has already warned you that your pregnancy can be serious, you should prevent yourself from taking a massage.
How to Use Massage Gun Safely for Pregnant Women?
It has already been proven that pregnant women can use a massage gun, as well as professional hand massage.
The next time you think of getting a professional massage that surely breaks your bank, you should go with a massage gun and get it done at home.
Or if you can afford it, don’t settle for less than an expert or the best in the field.
So, if you have already purchased a massage gun, now into knowing how to use that massage gun safely, let’s help you walk that through.
First thing, you should always be confident using, remove all the ambiguities or negative points about using a massage gun. If your doctor has cleared you for using one, go for it, without any doubt.
Be slow and steady, don’t just rush over your different parts of the body.
Try to give some time to the part you are massaging, give it adequate time before switching to another area or part of the body. Compare to a hand massage, a massage gun takes some time to get the job done.
Don’t use the same pressure through all areas of the body. Your body consists of different areas which are different from one another, apply less pressure on soft areas, and more on the stiff area.
If you feel pain while massaging an area, swelling, or anything of the kind, and it is felt discomforting, stop right away, it is always better safe than sorry.
Don’t be too hard on the joints, or massage them for too long unnecessarily, like the back area, or back joints.
If you don’t want to go with a massage gun and are interested in hand massage, there is a checklist for that too.
Things to Look for a Hand Massage for Pregnant Women?
I am assuming that you don’t like massage guns, or you think you don’t know how to properly use them, and you don’t want to put yourself at unnecessary risk, especially when you are pregnant. And you want to get into a personal hand massage experience.
These are some points or a checklist before deciding to hire a professional hand massage service.
Before you hire anyone for pregnant massage experience, check its license and certification.
It is also essential to check the experience and reviews. If you have a friend on your list that had used a professional hand massaging service.
If you could find a masseuse that has a specialization in parental massage, go for it.
Keep in mind, that pregnancy massage is not a one-time massage, you will have to take it once a week or twice a week, so whoever you hire for it should be a friendly and effective communicator so that you could discuss your issues related, to help your problems.
If in any sessions you feel uncomfortable or start getting pain, immediately discontinue that and contact your Medical Doctor.
Or if it is something serious, most of the parental massage centers have specialized doctors, they can better deal with the situation.
What are the risk factors of using a Massage Gun?
Massage gun does not have any risk factors for pregnant women. They can’t increase the risk if you have a healthy pregnancy.
If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you should avoid taking a massage, in that case, the massage can bring more harm than good.
Many experts recommend that you should not take a massage in the first three months of pregnancy. Because in the first three months, there can be a chance of miscarriages.
As long as the safety regarding using a percussion massage gun are concerned, they are safe and would not bring any harm to your pregnancy, unless you are not allowed to use them by your doctors.
Conclusion
No doubt, pregnancy is one of the most memorable phases of a women’s life.
During this period a woman goes through lots of transitions, she suffers from pain, body changes, and discomfort, but in the end, it is all worth it when you get to see a cute baby.
The pain, discomfort, and mood swings can easily be tackled if you get a massage.
It is safe to use a massage gun even during pregnancy, it is a powerful tool that without costing arms and legs helps you get a calm, comfortable and relieving experience.
But you can be different, you should ask your doctor, and take permission.
Use a massage gun safely, or if you want hand massage, hire someone experienced in handling pregnant women massaging.
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