2024, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (2): 242-246

Effects of fascia gun versus stretching on exercise-induced muscle fatigue

Dai Jiansong1, Xin Dongling1, Chen Gangrui2   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There are increasing scientific and technological ways to promote the recovery of muscle fatigue after sports, such as vibrating foam shaft, fascia gun relaxation, and ultra-low temperature cold therapy. Fascia gun relaxation has been widely used in practice, but there is still relatively little research on fascial guns.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of three relaxation methods (fascia gun, stretching, fascia gun+stretching) on muscle status and muscle strength during the recovery of exercise-induced muscle fatigue, and to provide scientific basis for the application of the three methods in practice.
METHODS: Forty college students were randomly divided into control group (n=10), stretching group (n=10), fascia gun group (n=10), and fascia gun+stretching group (n=10). All subjects completed leg flexion and extension training at 60%1 RM, 15 times per set, for 10 sets in total, to make exercise fatigue models. After modeling, the subjects were intervened with supine rest, static stretching, fascia gun relaxation, fascia gun+stretching relaxation respectively. Muscle status and muscle strength indexes were tested before exercise, immediately after exercise, immediately after relaxation, 24 and 48 hours after exercise.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The muscle tension and dynamic hardness of the control group and the stretching group immediately after relaxation were significantly higher than those before training (P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the fascia gun group and fascia gun+stretching group before and after training (P > 0.05). At 24 hours after training, the peak torque of the control group and fascia gun group was significantly lower than that before training (P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in the stretching group and fascia gun+stretching group before and 24 hours after training (P > 0.05). To conclude, the fascia gun can immediately and effectively improve the muscle state of sports fatigue and stretching can promote the effective recovery of muscle strength within 24 hours after sports fatigue. Relaxation using fascia gun plus stretching can achieve the superposition of the two effects.

Key words: fascia gun, stretching, muscle strength, muscle tension, muscle hardness