Theralates
Percussive Therapy is one of the newest modules of recovery strategies and Perfect Form is excited to offer the use of Therabody’s theragun as part of your Pilates session. Percussive therapy is the rapid repetition application of pressure perpendicular to the body and incorporates three modes – amplitude, frequency and torque making Therabody’s products the best on the market. Currently there are 20+ ongoing studies across seven institutes touting benefits larger and longer lasting than pressure and vibration separately.
There are several physiological and neurological responses to percussive therapy:
Local Response –
Reduced viscosity – thixotrophy – percussive therapy can decrease intra & extracellular fluid viscosity, making the muscle itself “less stiff”
Increased facial hydration – percussive therapy improves fascial gliding and increases hyaluronic acid.
Cells converts mechanical stimulus into electrochemical activity – mechanotransduction – meaning the muscles perform better.
Davis’ Law – connective tissue models to its demand. Percussive therapy provides passive stimulus to assist remodeling as well as facilitate activity.
Increased blood flow – Percussive therapy has been seen to increase blood flow up to 500% in up to 10 minutes. Also stimulates nitric oxide causing blood vessels to vasodilate.
Stimulation of mechanoreceptors – sensory cell that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion
Global Response –
Corticospinal activation – increased motor activation of neurons between the cerebral cortex and the spinal cord.
Autonomic Nervous System Regulation – The component of the peripheral nervous system that regulated involuntary physiologic processing including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and digestion.
Pain modulation – Percussive therapy can reduce pain based on the Gate Theory. Vibration communicates at 246m/hr vs pain at 55m/hr. Basically percussive therapy beats pain signals to the brain.
Benefits/Effects based on Science
- Decreased pain & soreness
- Reduced soreness post exercise
- Decreased muscle tension/tone
- Improved range of motion & movement
- Improved neuromuscular performance
- Improved function & health of soft tissue
- Increased blood flow, oxygen & nutrient delivery to tissues, clearance of waste products from tissues.
- Perceptual response – decreases stress by elevating the parasympathetic response subjective to recovery, anxiety and relaxation
To purchase your own Therabody product, please contact the studio at info@perfectformpilates.com. For product details, visit http://www.therabody.com