A massage gun hits the same spot dozens of times a second. That’s the point of it, and it’s also why the warnings in the box matter more than most people assume.
This page collects what makers, clinicians, and case reports say about safe use. It is general information, not medical advice. For what the research says the device does, see the overview of massage gun benefits.
Short answer: Cleveland Clinic advises using it on muscle, not bone, for no more than a couple of minutes per muscle group. Therabody says not to apply it to the face, head, throat, or neck. Therabody lists deep vein thrombosis, bleeding disorders, blood thinners, and pacemakers among its contraindications. Published case reports describe rare serious harm after long or repeated use.
Where not to use it
Physical therapist Gary Calabrese told Cleveland Clinic in 2023: “Be sure to stick to muscles, not bones.” He also advised against pressing down, because added pressure “can cause damage rather than provide relief.”
Therabody’s contraindication list for its Theragun line covers these areas:
- The face, head, throat, neck, or genitalia
- Skin rashes, open wounds, blisters, bruises, or local inflammation
- Direct pressure over a surgical site or hardware
- Bone fractures
Who should check with a doctor first
Therabody lists these as contraindications, meaning it says not to use the device:
| Contraindication (Therabody) | Precaution (Therabody) |
|---|---|
| Deep vein thrombosis | Pregnancy |
| Bleeding disorders | Diabetes |
| Blood-thinning medication | Osteoporosis or osteopenia |
| Uncontrolled high blood pressure | Controlled high blood pressure |
| Acute or severe heart, liver, or kidney disease | Varicose veins |
| Pacemaker, ICD, or history of embolism | Numbness or altered sensation |
| Recent surgery or injury | Scoliosis |
| Peripheral vascular disease | Medications that alter sensation |
Cleveland Clinic advises consulting your healthcare team if you have an underlying condition or are recovering from an injury.
What the case reports describe
Muscle breakdown. Chen (2020) reported a 25-year-old woman with mild anemia whose coach gave her about 10 minutes of percussion on both thighs after cycling. She developed pain, bruising, and dark urine and was treated in hospital for severe rhabdomyolysis. Her creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, was above 30,000 U/L and fell to 301 U/L over about 2 weeks. She recovered. The coach had taken no medical history.
Eye injury. Mu and Fan (2022) reported a 69-year-old man who used a massage gun near his right eye for about 1 minute a night for 2 months to ease headaches, with his hand between the gun and the eye. He developed a displaced lens and glaucoma and needed surgery. Three months later, his corrected vision in that eye was 4/20. The authors wrote:
“We recommend not using PMGs above the neck, which should be clearly indicated in instruction manuals.”
Mu J, Fan W, Medicine, 2022
PMGs are percussion massage guns.
Chest injury. The authors of a 2024 study in the Journal of Athletic Training cite a second published report: a man who developed bleeding into the chest cavity after regular use on his chest and back.
These are single cases. They don’t show how common harm is, and the authors inferred the cause.
Limitations
No large study has tracked side effects in home users. Li (2025) reported no device-related injuries in its 30 participants. Warning lists differ by brand and model, and other makers publish their own in each manual.
Here’s what the spec sheet won’t tell you. A high stall force only matters if you press hard, and Cleveland Clinic advises not pressing down at all.
My rule of thumb: read the warning sheet for your exact model before the first use, because the lists differ by brand.
Bottom line: the makers and clinicians quoted here agree on muscle only, short sessions, and no head or neck, and Therabody’s lists name who should ask a doctor first. For the broader evidence, see the massage gun benefits overview linked above.
Sources
- Therabody, “Precautions” (Theragun contraindications and precautions), accessed October 23, 2026: therabody.com
- Cleveland Clinic, “Try a Massage Gun for Relieving Aches and Pains,” February 14, 2023: health.clevelandclinic.org
- Chen J, Zhang F, Chen H, Pan H, “Rhabdomyolysis After the Use of Percussion Massage Gun: A Case Report,” Physical Therapy, 2020: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Mu J, Fan W, “Lens subluxation after use of a percussion massage gun: A case report,” Medicine, December 2022: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Li H et al., “The effect of percussion massage therapy on the recovery of delayed onset muscle soreness in physically active young men: a randomized controlled trial,” Frontiers in Public Health, March 2025: frontiersin.org
- [Leabeater et al., “Under the Gun: Percussive Massage Therapy and Physical and Perceptual Recovery in Active Adults,” Journal of Athletic Training, March 2024: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov