THERAGUN Prime Massage Device Review

For nearly two years, percussion recovery, massage, and warm-up devices have made a notable entry into the sports and health markets. To form our own opinion, we tested the Theragun Prime daily for several weeks to accompany and complement our training based on running and cycling outings. In the end, only one question remains: do these percussions have good repercussions?

You have certainly already seen images, advertisements, or presentations of these new devices showing athletes or ordinary people literally having their muscles “jackhammered.” Do not see this as torture or a penchant for self-mutilation; quite the opposite. These new devices represent the massages of the future and are natural and effective solutions to promote improved performance, recovery, or simply daily well-being.

Created in 2016 by American doctor Jason Wersland, Theragun is one of the world specialists in the percussion therapy market. Its ambition is to allow everyone to control their own muscle tension and release it through natural solutions without side effects.

Percussion therapy, what is it?

Percussion therapies are scientifically calibrated to treat muscles deeply, improve their warm-up before an activity, and blood circulation through oxygen supply to the muscles. By increasing this oxygen level, muscles eliminate more toxins, which accelerates their recovery during and after exercise. To be effective, these devices combine several factors: percussion amplitude, percussion frequency, and pressure resistance. The percussion frequency and treatment amplitude prevent the brain from getting used to the sensation, which amplifies the benefits of the method on the body, proving more durable and effective than a manual massage. The positive effects are numerous: improved blood circulation and flexibility, increased range of motion, reduced lactic acid production, injury prevention and inflammation reduction, accelerated warm-up or recovery, improved posture and sleep.

Today, Theragun is in its fourth generation of percussion massage devices and offers devices that are both quiet, smart, and connected to a mobile application that guides users through numerous personalized treatment protocols based on each activity. The range includes four devices (Pro at €599, Elite at €399, Prime at €299, and Mini at €199) with: a treatment amplitude of 16 mm (i.e., the distance between the back and forth movements of the therapy attachment during each percussion) which allows for deep muscle treatment to durably release tension, a frequency ranging from 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute (up to 40 percussions per second!) and a motor that can withstand pressure up to 27 kg of force without stalling, to best treat all areas of the body. This motor is also equipped with QuietForce Technology which allows it to blend into your sound environment.

Except for the Mini, the Pro, Elite, and Prime devices feature an ergonomic triangular handle that is calibrated to avoid creating tension or transmitting vibrations in the hands, wrists, and forearms. The idea is to let the device “float” on the muscles without adding extra pressure if not necessary. In addition to the device, there are therapy attachments (7 available in total) each with their specific density and shape, to ensure quality treatment for every area of the body. Made of waterproof foam that does not absorb cream, oil, or sweat, they are easy to clean and disinfect.

Where to find your Theragun device?

Pro, Elite, Prime, and Mini, the complete Theragun range includes four devices ranging from €199 to €599, depending on the functions and performance you desire. There is therefore necessarily one that corresponds to your practices, habits, and lifestyles. Here’s where to buy your new wellness friend, change your attachments, or complete your accessories:

• Theragun Pro at €599;
• Theragun Elite at €399;
• Theragun Prime at €299;
• Theragun Mini at €199;
• Theragun attachments and various accessories, including charging;

Getting started with the Prime

The Prime is Theragun’s entry-level model. It comes with four attachments: the Dampener (impact level 3 out of 10) for treating sensitive areas or near bones, the Standard Ball (impact level 5 out of 10) for full-body treatment, the Thumb (impact level 7 out of 10) for lower back treatment, and the Cone (impact level 10 out of 10) for precise muscle treatment. The attachment and exchange system is very simple, as it just needs to be clipped on or off the rod. The attachment is solid, quick, and does not move during use.

Its use is intuitive. Once charged, simply long-press the central button to activate the device, then glide it over the target muscle. The more you press, the greater the massage pressure (and thus the percussions). Depending on needs or desires, the up and down arrows on the device allow you to increase or decrease the percussion speed. At 2,400 “strokes” per minute, the maximum, and with firm pressure, the muscle massage is intense.

What we liked:

• the weight of the device, less than 1 kg with the Dampener attachment, is a great advantage and comfort for its use;
• the good calibration of the 5 percussion speeds (1,750, 1,900, 2,100, 2,200, and 2,400 PPM) which allows for perfectly adapting the massage to your immediate needs;
• the noise, very reduced! The Prime’s motor is truly quiet; it can operate in front of the television without forcing you to turn up the volume to hear, and it doesn’t disturb the sleep of your partner enjoying Morpheus’s arms in the next room. It’s simple: it’s no louder than an electric toothbrush;
• the triangular grip which, in our opinion, proves to be the major asset of this device. Without it, you would have to contort yourself in all directions, thereby creating muscle tension in your hands, wrists, and arms, which is the opposite of the desired goal, to access certain muscles like the hamstrings, lower back, etc. This ingenious triangular grip allows for treating the entire body in total relaxation;
• the ease of changing attachments and their foam which is easily cleanable and disinfectable. Hygienic!;
• the use in terms of recovery massage, truly salvific after a good running or cycling session or when muscles are fatigued by accumulated training hours.

What we liked less:

• conversely, we did not feel its benefits before an activity as a warm-up, for muscle preparation for effort;
• the Cone attachment, to be used for precise muscle treatment, is painful even with light pressure;
• the device’s battery life could be a bit more generous. When training five days a week, with use before and after exercise, as well as for occasional recovery-wellness massages, the minutes tick by quite quickly, especially since it’s easy, given the pleasure the percussions provide, to linger longer than necessary on certain areas;
• the Therabody app offers numerous usage advice programs for different activities: Discovery (3), Cycling or Running Warm-up (10), Cycling or Running Recovery (10), Studio Warm-up (3, yoga, pilates, barre), Studio Recovery (3), Fitness Warm-up (5), Fitness Recovery (5), Wellness (3), Pain or Injuries (7), Lower Body (7), Upper Body (10), Lifestyle (4), a total of 70. The advice in terms of muscle targeting, movements to perform, and timing are good, but the limitation is that the device can only function through human interaction. It cannot be autonomous, like, for example, an electrostimulation device which, once synchronized via a Bluetooth connection, will itself manage an entire program chaining types of pressures, contractions, speeds, timings, etc. Here, the application advises, but that is its only added value;
  
• the bulkiness remains quite significant if you decide to travel with it and find it indispensable.

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