In early May 2020, Theragun rebranded as Therabody and launched four new percussive therapy devices—tools that use rapid bursts of pressure that stimulates blood flow to soothe sore muscles—featuring quieter motors than its previous models.
We tested three of the devices for several weeks and spoke to a physical therapist and athletic trainer to see what exactly these things are doing. Spoiler alert: The devices made us feel great, but they come with hefty price tags. If you want to give them a try, we’ve outlined each of the new models below and what’s WIRED and TIRED about each.
(The company also has a TheraOne line of CBD products, but we didn’t try these and can’t speak on the medical benefits of CBD.)
By Medea Giordano, with extra testing and contributions by Jess Grey and Julian Chokkattu.
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Photograph: Therabody
What Does a Theragun Do?
What the Experts Have to Say
“As we exercise and challenge our muscles, we cause breakdown within the muscle fibers, which in turn stimulates muscle growth/regrowth, hypertrophy (increase muscle size) and strength,” said Jacklyn Plonski, an outpatient orthopedic and pediatric physical therapist. “Mechanical stimulation of a muscle [with a device like the Theragun] causes increased blood flow and the release of histamines to the stimulated area. What this does is allow the increased blood flow to decrease the inflammatory response, decrease muscle soreness, and break up knots in athlete’s musculature.” She likened this technique to using a foam roller or getting a professional treatment done.
Shelby Milne, an athletic trainer at UPenn, said that the athletes there swear by Theraguns and have used them for both pre- and post-training (they currently use a different brand of percussive therapy devices). “The oscillations can also act as a warming modality for the muscles and tissues before the activity,” she said.
While Plonksi has seen anecdotal evidence supporting the use of a Theragun, and no apparent negative effects, she recommends always talking to your medical provider first before starting a regimen like this.
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Photograph: Therabody
Best Overall (and Quietest)
Theragun Elite
The Theragun Elite tenderized my muscles like nothing else. Even on its lowest speed setting, and with the right foam tip, it was able to relieve deep tissue pain and muscle tension with just a few minutes of use. The app integration makes it easy to create and store massage routines for recurring aches, and it’s surprisingly quiet (it’s Therabody’s quietest device).
It doesn’t have a rotating arm, but it doesn’t need it. The triangle design allows you to position your hand in whatever way you need to reach back and neck muscles. It comes with one battery, as opposed to the Pro’s two, but I got about two hours of use out of every charge, which was long enough for many sessions, since I rarely used it for more than 10 or 20 minutes at a time.
40 pounds of pressure and comes with five attachment heads
—Jess Grey
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Photograph: Therabody
Best for Serious Athletes
Theragun Pro
The most expensive of the bunch, the fourth generation Pro is the brand’s professional-grade device and one you might find owned by a college’s athletic department or a professional sports team. It uses 60 pounds of force at a variation of speeds; that might sound scary, and I, being a non-athlete, was terrified to try this at first because I was sure it would be painful, but I found it to be incredibly helpful for soothing my constantly sore back. It’s less 60 pounds of punching, more 60 pounds of delightful massages.
It’s the only one with a rotating arm, which makes it effortless to use on any spot that would normally be awkward to reach yourself. It has an OLED screen for easy control and is the only device that comes with a foam tip specifically for sensitive areas, so you can soothe any ache, pain, or knot you might have. The Pro has two external batteries, each with the capability of lasting 2.5 hours. It’s certainly not silent, as is the nature of a powerful device like this, but it probably won’t wake your apartment building neighbors if you need to use it at night.
60 pounds of pressure and comes with six attachment heads
—Medea Giordano
