My dear gamer friends, are your backs aching after carrying your squad in your favourite multiplayer game? I hate to tell you this, but it's far more likely that the reason for your back pain has to do with your posture and sitting habits, rather than your in-game talents. Regardless of whether you play games on the couch or in one of the best gaming chairs, we all carry tension, we all slouch, we all have sitting habits that aren't the best for us, so what's the solution?
For the last few weeks, I've been trying out a muscle gun (also referred to as a massage gun, or Theragun). As someone who always manages to get knots in their right shoulder and upper back, I've been keen to try one of these out for ages, but since I also make a living reviewing the ergonomics of gaming chairs and talking about healthy posture, I thought this might be a weirdly appropriate accessory for me to test out.
There are loads of brands making these clever massage guns these days, but the one I've been testing is from a company called Homedics. Its Novp+ Mini Massage gun is a smaller, portable device that's as easy to throw in your bag and take on the go as it is to sit on a desk or by the couch for when gaming sessions go from casual to sweaty.
I have to say, this little gun is surprisingly versatile and comes with loads of attachments for different use scenarios and areas of the body. It charges via USB-C and can run for an hour on a single lifespan - although I tend to use mine in shorter stints and it lasts weeks without needing a top-up.
I've used this for long hours at my desk because, even sitting in the fanciest gaming chairs and testing out their posture-supporting features, my body can carry aches and pains from adjusting to them. On top of that, I exercise regularly, so I tend to feel recurring knots from my routine. I'll say right now that I don't think a muscle gun is going to be a cure-all for your aches and pains, but having tested one of them out for around a month now, I think more gamers should be considering them.
Not all are made equal, but the Homedics Novo+ has six different intensity settings that range from a gentle rumble all the way up to a pneumatic drill being pressed into your stiff muscles. This one even has a heated and cooling mode, which is probably more high-tech than most need to go, but it shows you what's out there for a somewhat reasonable price.
The basic principle will be the same regardless of the massage gun you go for. Using percussive therapy, one of these guns will deliver high-frequency vibrations to an area of the body, which will help to relax tight muscle fibres, break down tension, reduce pain, and increase blood flow to promote healing.
The Homedics Novo+ has absolutely helped my muscle knots loosen, and it's helped me to reduce pain I might carry from stiffness and periods of bad posture, but only temporarily, and this is the important part.
It's easy to look at home remedies like massage guns, foam rollers, a new gaming chair, or one of the best standing desks and think they'll be the silver bullet we're all looking for our back aches. I'd say the same is true for all of them:
Buying a new gaming chair like the Autofull G7 with an advanced lumbar support system might help you improve your posture and lead to fewer aches and pains, but it won't "cure" you. Splashing out on a more cushioned chair like the Corsair TC500 Luxe might help you get a numb rear end compared to sitting on something firmer like the Secretlab Titan Evo, but you may find it doesn't improve your posture as much as ergonomic chairs, and you end up with different pains.
In the same way, a muscle gun might help you relieve tension when it's there, but it's not going to prevent it from recurring day-to-day. Is it a really great way of helping? Absolutely, but physiotherapists, chiropractors, and doctors will likely all tell you the same thing that the National Library of Medicine will: exercising and strengthening your muscles so they're more resilient and can support your frame more effectively is going to be the best way to stop those aches and pains from appearing. According to the NHS Inform website, "exercise should not make your existing back pain worse," - which is often the fear.
So are muscle guns a silver bullet for your bad gamer posture? Definitely not. Are they something worth considering if you're a gamer who frequently has aches and pains? Absolutely.
- View all massage guns at Amazon
- Shop for a new gaming chair at Amazon
- AutoFull G7: $669.99 at Amazon
If you want new ways to look out for your posture, check out the best console gaming chairs and the best gaming desks.
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