I have pretty bad 'tennis elbow' on my right side from baseball/work/other fitness stuff, and I don't feel like paying someone $50 a session to help me open up the scar tissue to help everything heal up. Apparently these things have a high success rate with that.
I skeptical of that product. It doesn't sound like it even deals with the causes of most elbow injuries (the guy also didn't convince me he knew anything about the physiology involved there).
What the article is suggesting doesn't work for someone who actually has inflammation problems and scar tissue issues.
I have tried to do plenty of strengthening exercises, and it doesn't help much. I've had issues with my right arm for years with swelling especially after baseball(I throw right handed). I went to see a therapist about it, and he said I have built up scar tissue that needs to be broken down in order to let the muscles heal up. Not sure how doing forearm weight work would help with that.
MobilityWOD(the guys in the video) have VERY high success rates with their methods. Active Release Therapy has a 90% success rate on most patients, and in controlled trials, 70% of patients benefited from methods like the video shows, when they struggled for years to fix the issues with 'other' methods.
I purchased them today. I'll see how they work and report back here.
I stopped watching about 45 seconds in after he asks the guy if he plays golf or tennis and the answer is no "so it can't be golf or tennis elbow it must be some sort of itis" so I can't really comment on technique they use. It may work as you suggest but I get turned off when they start a pitch like they are snake oil salesmen.
Tennis elbow is just a common name for lateral epicondylitis and has nothing to do with whether one plays tennis/golf or not but a result of using the muscles in that are to grip, carry and twist.
From what I understand from talking to my physio friends this is generally the type of injury that you can rehab at home after a mere 2 or 3 sessions with a physiotherapist to make sure you are doing the exercises correctly. Note that while I do not have tennis elbow I do have chronic patellar tendonitis and had a similar issue to what you suggest. Tendon massage, strength exercises, and mobility exercises were the order of the day and I was able to do those at home (and still do). It was chronic so it literally took months to get significantly better.
edit: having looked a bit more into voodoo bands and especially the patellar tendonitis video they are really a variation of a product that is known and has been sold in stores for years and years....a Cho Pat strap. For the knee they do work to remove a good chunk of the pain when exercising while you rehab the injury. It sort of squishes out the tendow where it joins the muscle and distributes the impact across a greater area. It thus reduce the irritation so you don't get the post exercise inflammation and can then get to work on improving the fitness in the area with rehab exercises.
I think the point is why call it 'tennis elbow' or 'golfers elbow' when many other people get it as well. It is pretty common for baseball players too from what I've read.
My elbow feels fine today after a couple days of work on trying to break up the scar tissue using the methods my therapist gave me.
As for the Voodoo Bands, you are correct that they are a variation of a product that has been known for many years. You can even cut up a bicycle tube and use it, although it tends to tear.
I have no input on the physiology or muscular reasoning behind them but I have the Voodoo bands and love them. I find that it gives me relief for stiff and sore muscles.
Got them a couple days ago, and I have to say they are pretty amazing. I have little to no elbow problems anymore, after wrapping them a couple times with the bands. I do my calves and quads after a hockey game today, and they feel great afterwards.
I would say they're worth the $20 and the 5 min per day that it takes to wrap the various sore muscles.
Not enough info about what you're trying to do with your lower back. If it's a little stiff like mine, here's what I can think of: Try wrapping them around your abdomen. I would use two bands and play around with the tension. Too tight may be too restrictive. It's probably best to clench your abs so it isn't too uncomfortable in your tummy. Then try doing some exercises/movements to get your torso moving- alternating upward dog and downward dog poses or the golf/hockey stretch with the club/stick across your shoulders as you rotate your torso about your spine. *Please use caution and perform at your own discretion*
Got them a couple days ago, and I have to say they are pretty amazing. I have little to no elbow problems anymore, after wrapping them a couple times with the bands. I do my calves and quads after a hockey game today, and they feel great afterwards.
I would say they're worth the $20 and the 5 min per day that it takes to wrap the various sore muscles.
I'm intrigued! I have two bad elbows and range of motion is brutal. Bone spur in the one is the worse. I do a lot of stretching of the fore arm but it appears I have a plateau. I will look for these and try them out.
Did you order online or are they available in stores?
I think I was confused about the use for these things in my initial comment. The stuff I posted is more for tendon inflammation etc. You guys are talking about scar tissue and range of motion issues. Completely different items there. Are the bands still working out?
Inflammation is often the result of existing scar tissue restricting proper blood flood, while impaired range of motion can also lead to strained tendons.
Fixing the original problem(scar tissue, ROM)...can help with the inflammation.
I absolutely love them.
A few weeks ago I had serious pain in my right arm after work or sports, and now after 3-4 sessions with the Voodoo Bands, I feel practically nothing after hockey. The true test will be baseball in the summer.
I think it really depends on what is actually wrong with your knee. If it is tendon/muscle problems, I think they can help, but if you have more serious problems like cartilage being worn away, I'm not sure how they can provide relief.
I am however extremely curious of the answer, as I have a friend who has ACL issue, and would love to find something that works as well.
Voodoo Bands from Rogue Fitness
