Best massage guns to relieve knots and soothe sore muscles, tried and tested

Usually, the prospect of a good pummelling isn’t something that would appeal to us, however, after a long session at the gym, or a long day of sitting at a desk, the percussive effects of the best massage guns can soothe muscles after exercise or just relieve the stiffness that comes with inactivity.

Massage guns use their motors to replicate the technique of tapotement, where a massage therapist will go to work on you with rapid, tapping movements. The massage guns do this at different speeds, measured in percussions per minute (PPM), with the percussive back-and-forth of a good massage gun head moving between 1,400 and 3,200 PPM.

The handy tools come with multiple heads for different applications and for targeting specific problems, from deep-tissue massage to relieving pressure around the spine. Whichever head you’re using, it’s essential the gun’s body has good ergonomics, so you can hold it happily for as long as it takes to feel the benefits, without it feeling like a workout in itself, or causing any numbness in your hand.

Good design is also crucial, as the massage gun needs to be able to target those hard-to-reach areas, such as the small of your back, after a prolonged