Some people with Parkinson’s or MS, haven’t experienced much stiffness or maybe no pain, but on the other hand, most sufferers have experienced lots of stiffness and pain. Whether you have or have not, there is something you can do for yourself that will keep you a little looser, a little more mobile and a little happier. It’s a little treat you can give yourself.

And that is a massage.

Massage therapy has been proven to improve a patient’s day-to-day activities, sleeping habits, walking, stress, and more. Rigidity, stiffness, fatigue, and other symptoms have also been proven to get relief from this treatment. If these symptoms aren’t addressed, depression, poor self-esteem, and isolation can set in or get worse.

Many people with multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons receive regular massage therapy to help relax and reduce stress.” Along with stress reduction, massage can help increase flexibility which improves your mobility, and can help reduce muscle stiffness caused by spasticity. But perhaps the greatest benefit is reduction of pain.

Approx one in every 350 people have Parkinsons. That is over 13,000 in Ireland, 150,000 in the UK and over 500,000 in the USA, and of course it affects many millions of pepole.

In Ireland over 9,500 people have Multiple Sclerosis. In the UK than number is over 100,000 and in the US, that figure is nearly 1,000,000 people and like Parkinsons, affects many millions of people

The benefit of using the DeproGun Muscle Massage Gun is that you can do it on your own and you do not need to visit expensive massage therapists.  You can choose to have a relaxing or stimulating massage as all our massage guns come with variable speeds and from 4 to 6 different massage heads allowing you to massage every part of your body. Our massage guns have speeds ranging from 1,200 to 3,200 revolutions per minute and weigh only 900 grams.

One study showed that massage helped boost self-confidence, well-being, walking abilities, and performance of daily living activities in a group of seven patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. They were monitored while receiving eight one-hour, full-body massage therapy sessions over the course of eight weeks.

Urine samples of these patients also showed a significant decrease in the amount of stress hormones that were registered at the beginning of the study.

These positive results were again registered not only by the researchers, but also from assessments conducted with the participants of the study. This suggests that while massage leads to measurable biological and chemical improvements in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, the patients themselves can actually feel this difference tangibly in their everyday lives.

We’ve always known a back rub feels nice. A massage will not only help with rigidity, stiffness, and stress, but also it will leave you feeling better. Most neurologists or movement disorder specialists will advise you to add this as part of your treatment. So why not consult your doctor for a recommendation.

Massage can also be invigorating and stimulating, both for the mind and body. It is important to decide what effect you want – relaxing or stimulating – before your massage session starts!

Massage can work in two ways:

• A mechanical action in which the muscles and soft tissues of the body have pressure applied to them or are stretched using specific movements. This can help in breaking down ‘knotty’, fibrous tissue, keeping joints loose and connective tissue in good repair.
• A reflex action in which massaging one part of the body has an effect on another part, for example massaging the neck can help with back pain, or massaging the lower back can help with leg pain.  This works because nerve pathways connect various parts of the body and so massage can have a ‘knock on’ effect.

Massage benefits may include:

• reduced stress, anxiety and depression
• reduced pain
• reduced constipation
• improved flexibility and mobility
• improved circulation and elimination of waste and toxins
• improved quality of sleep
• greater sense of self-awareness and wellbeing
• improved vitality.

These benefits can obviously be enjoyed by carers and family too.