Percussive Therapy: It's the therapy you already know
- Diana Gordon LMT
- Apr 23, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 22
They are the hottest tools around. You have probably seen commercials or ads on your favorite shopping channel as the newest addition to at-home wellness. Percussive therapy tools are everywhere. But is percussive therapy new?
When I was in massage therapy school, we learned a Tapotement technique. Tapotement is used mainly in Swedish massage. It is a tapping or rhythmic percussion motion used with the therapist’s hand or fingers.
Tapotement
The name is taken from the French word “Tapoter,” meaning to tap or to drum. This technique is a rhythmic percussion, most frequently administered with the edge of the hand, a cupped hand, or with the tips of the fingers. Tapotement is primarily used to “wake up” the nervous system, soften hardened tissue (like tenderizing a steak), increase blood flow to warm the tissue, and it can release lymphatic build-up in the back.
There are six types of tapotement.
Beating (closed fist lightly hitting area), Slapping (use of fingers to slap gently), Hacking (use the edge of the hand on pinky finger side), Tapping (use just fingertips), and Cupping (making your hand look like a cup and gently tap area).
The 6th form of tapotement uses vibration, often referred to as the piezoelectric effect, that does the tapping with tools. This tapping motion can be directly on the body using a device or tapping on a medium resting on the body, such as a stone or bell.
I always felt like tapotement (and massage therapy) is the most intuitive of all the techniques. It is natural and inherent to us as human beings. We use touch to heal and comfort without even thinking about it. For example, when you get hurt, the first thing you do is start to hold or rub the area (This is effleurage or petrissage).
When I talk about tapotement, I like to use these two examples. The first example is what we all do to quiet & comfort a baby. We put them over our shoulder and pat rhythmically on their back. Another instance is when someone is upset, and you want to comfort them, you may tap on their back and rub your hand up and down. This is tapotement, and it is the OG of percussive therapy. Whether it’s the physical response that occurs like our muscles relaxing, the warming of your skin from the increase of blood circulation, or the rhythmic beat that is reminiscent of a heartbeat, Percussive Therapy works, and that’s why we use it.
Today, we love using percussive devices. It’s hand tapotement on speed. They help relieve pain, improve circulation, and aid in muscle recovery. The science and years of data that developed these devices are impressive.
They work because it combines
Torque(the motor’s effectiveness at controlling applied pressure)
Frequency(how many times the device touches the body)
Amplitude(the effects of the pressure, size, and vibration of the rotating head of the device)
I'm trained formally in percussive devices and use them in my sessions as an LMT. But there’s just something about that feeling of someone’s hand applying that rhythmic and comforting tapotement... It’s the human touch for me.
Thank you for visiting, Click the link below to stay updated with my blog and receive exclusive promotions. If you are in the Long Island /NYC area & interested in adding Massage Therapy to your wellness routine, Please visit my
Don’t be shy. Subscribe below and receive $50 Off your first session.
Comments