Perceptual gains, performance pains? Massage gun use during warm-up enhances perceived readiness without performance benefits

Handheld massage guns are widely used by athletes, however, evidence for their acute effects during warm-up remains limited. Fifty-nine recreational athletes (21.6 ± 2.4 years; 24 female, 35 male) were randomly assigned to a massage gun group (GUN; n = 30) or control group (CON; n = 29). All participants completed a standardised dynamic warm-up followed by baseline testing of countermovement jumps (CMJ), 10/5 repeated jump test, knee-to-wall ankle mobility, and 20 m sprints. Perceptual measures (fatigue, muscle soreness, readiness to perform) were also recorded. The GUN group then completed a 12-min percussive massage protocol while the CON group rested quietly, before all tests were repeated. Linear mixed models and Hedges’ g effects are reported for the Condition x Time interactions. Massage gun use was associated with greater readiness to perform compared with CON ( p < 0.05, g = 0.64). No differences were observed for perceived fatigue ( p > 0.05). Despite no differences in CMJ height ( p > 0.05), some CMJ metrics were impaired in the GUN group ( p < 0.05), with reduced concentric force ( g = -0.76), longer contraction time ( g = 0.60), and lower RSI-modified ( g = –-0.63), potentially due to greater countermovement depth ( p < 0.05, g = -0.56). No significant Condition x Time interactions were found for the 10/5 repeated jump test, knee-to-wall mobility or sprint performance ( p > 0.05). Massage gun use during warm-up enhanced perceptual readiness to perform, but impaired several markers of CMJ performance, with no benefits observed for mobility or sprinting.