# Meta-analysis of 12 trials: percussive therapy aided jump recovery but not strength or soreness

- Published: 2026-11-13 22:43 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Sport & health
- Tags: percussive therapy, massage guns, exercise-induced muscle damage, countermovement jump recovery, creatine kinase, delayed onset muscle soreness, meta-analysis of randomized trials, treatment dosage
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-b8e8b0ad4e09fea7c1d92c36_meta_analysis_of/

**A review of 393 healthy participants found lower creatine kinase and better jump recovery after percussive therapy, with no clear effect on maximum strength or soreness.**

![Meta-analysis of 12 trials: percussive therapy aided jump recovery but not strength or soreness](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/25be5c52edf4b9b3.jpg)
*bioengineer.org*

A systematic review and meta-analysis led by Yang Zhu and colleagues, reported in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, assessed percussive therapy with handheld massage guns after exercise-induced muscle damage. The authors searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and CNKI for randomized trials published through November 26, 2025. From 1,050 initial records, twelve trials were included [1].

The trials were published between 2023 and 2025 and enrolled 393 healthy participants: 286 males and 107 females aged 17.6 to 37 years. Eleven trials used parallel groups and one used a contralateral split-body crossover design. Only one trial studied competitive athletes; eleven involved recreationally active people. Eleven used commercial massage guns, and one used a piston-driven device operating at 60 Hz [1].

## Review design and risk of bias

Participants received a single session within one hour after exercise and were compared with passive rest or placebo. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251240832). Quality on the PEDro scale was 6 to 8 points. Under the RoB 2 tool, all twelve studies raised some concerns, mainly because participants and therapists cannot be blinded to a physical intervention [1].

## Outcomes, dosage and certainty

Percussive therapy improved countermovement jump recovery compared with control (k = 13, g = 0.78, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.29, p < 0.01). Heterogeneity was substantial (I² = 76.03%) and certainty was low. Creatine kinase was lower (k = 7, g = −0.87, 95% CI −1.57 to −0.17, p = 0.02), with very low certainty [1].

No clear effect was found for maximum voluntary contraction recovery (k = 8, g = 0.12, 95% CI −0.10 to 0.34, p = 0.28; moderate certainty) or for delayed onset muscle soreness (k = 17, g = 0.14, 95% CI −0.19 to 0.48, p = 0.40; very low certainty) [1].

In exploratory analyses, treatment longer than 5 minutes per muscle group was associated with a jump effect of 1.56, against 0.57 for both shorter ranges. Protocols of 2.5 to 5 minutes at 50 Hz or higher were associated with lower creatine kinase. Longer treatment was also associated with higher soreness scores. A trim-and-fill analysis imputed three missing studies and reduced the jump effect to 0.492, crossing the null boundary [1].

The authors conclude that percussive therapy may improve recovery of explosive output and reduce early creatine kinase, while current evidence does not support clear benefits for maximum strength or soreness. They state that the dose-related findings are preliminary and should not be read as prescriptive thresholds [1].

## Sources

1. [Chiropractic & Manual Therapies](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-026-00657-9)
2. [bioengineer.org](https://bioengineer.org/percussive-therapy-shows-mixed-recovery-benefits-across-exercise-muscle-damage-dosages)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-b8e8b0ad4e09fea7c1d92c36_meta_analysis_of/