Massage Tools to Help Manage the Pain

One of the first signs of Parkinson’s disease is a hand tremor. I remember my father first experiencing those hand tremors. He stopped being able to sign his signature, something he was very proud of.

He lost the ability to write for periods of time. He had such beautiful penmanship. From there, the muscular symptoms continued to worsen. From the hand tremor to the neck stiffness, to the rigidity of his calves and his feet.

By the time we realized what was happening, the rigidity of his muscles slowed him down and caused immense amounts of pain.

Keeping the muscles loose

Part of the severity of my father’s muscle rigidity is largely due to the fact that he does not want to do his physical therapy. He tried in the beginning but slowly lost motivation. We had to get creative in getting his muscles moving and loose so his pain and rigidity would lessen.

My sister and I have chronic upper back and shoulder pain. We are always looking for cheap deals on massages or the next best massager. We found the HyperVolt Percussion Massager. The one my sister bought is quite strong and very much so on the pricier end of the spectrum.

However, we felt it was a real investment because, especially during the pandemic, it replaced in-person massages. We were sold. We wondered if this was something that could help our dad.

Finding the right tool

We did worry the strength of the massage gun would be too much for him. Apart from being very strong on the person being massaged, the vibration from holding the gun itself can also feel your hand feeling a bit tingly after holding the gun.

However, he ended up finding a mini version of the gun - Hypersphere Mini. This version is a lot smaller and is actually a lot easier to use for longer periods of time. It doesn’t come with as many massage heads but those can be bought separately.

Since he bought the massage gun, my father just runs it along his neck, down his back, along his calves, as well as under his feet. He sometimes pushes it and does it for longer than the recommended 15 minutes a day written on the box.

Pain relief

It does seem to provide pain relief and loosens his muscles, especially in his calves. I am not sure if anyone else struggles with physical therapy or if the therapy provides relief. But, if you feel you could benefit from this tool, I would highly recommend making the investment.

I promise I am not being paid by this company. I simply appreciate the relief this tool has provided me and my father.

The compromise

At some point, my family and I have to make peace with the fact that he just does not want to engage in his physical therapy. Even with the therapist coming to our house once a week, nothing will make a difference until he gets up and engages those muscles himself.

However, without a tool like this, he wouldn’t be engaging his muscles at all and would be in agony. I don’t know if this is a sort of compromise between physical therapy and no therapy. But if it helps him, I won’t stop him.