Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm over 50 and weigh 154lbs. I've been playing tennis with pain for about a year now. I used arm bands, took extra days off, etc., in order to keep playing. But a recent tennis racquet and string change led to unbearable pain within several weeks--I could no longer play and I was sporting quite a noticeable swelling around the lateral epicondyle (the bone on the outside of the elbow). It was puffy and angry looking. I was in this situation several years ago, but I never really let the elbow heal properly before returning to the game. Back then I ordered the green flexbar and gave up on it within a few days because it caused too much pain. I took several weeks break and tried the bar again with the same results--no go. This time around, I decided to approach the injury with a little more common sense. First, I found and read the highly successful study that was conducted in 2010 I believe. Next, I ordered the red flexbar which is the second lightest of the four flexbars: yellow, red, green, blue. I set my mind to following the study exactly and I incorporated some other information I read. Choosing the right color to start is perhaps the biggest unknown. Each person/injury is different, so the starting color depends on your best guess--that's why I chose the red bar this time around. I can't emphasize how critical choosing the right bar will be for you. It's better to err on the lighter side and graduate more quickly to the next bar than set yourself back with the wrong bar. The study calls for doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions of the Tyler Twist altogether once per day. Each repetition should last 4 seconds from the time your injured arm is loaded to the time the wrist of your injured arm has reached its full range of motion (full forearm stretch). You reset after each repetition by taking your non-injured arm off the flexbar and returning to the starting position and repeating the exercise. The study states that when you're able to complete 3 sets of 15 (meaning physically complete the three sets without too much pain), then you're ready for the next flexbar in the series. Pain will be present in the beginning (my pain began dissipating after the first two weeks). It's the pain that dictates the color choice and how much torque you use with the non-injured arm when doing the exercise. If pain persists and increases during the 3 sets, it's a safe bet you need to go down to a lighter bar. The pain should decrease during the exercise (and you'll likely have post exercise pain which is normal if it doesn't carry over too long). Over the course of the first two weeks, you can expect the pain to become mobile--meaning the pain may move slightly to a nearby location on the elbow. This is also a sign that your forearm muscles, and tendon fibers near the elbow are beginning to strengthen and adaptively remodel to support further exercise. Don't get discouraged during the first few weeks as you evaluate changing pain symptoms. Also, it'll be normal for your swelling is reduced and your forearm muscles become stronger. That's what you want to happen in order for your arm to become strong enough to take on daily activities. Don't be discouraged at this point because seemingly simple movements will still cause pain. Hang in there because you still have several weeks to go according to the study--which stated that for the average person it takes 6 weeks to heal--some more, some less. A word about doing the exercise: the Tyler Twist. Try to do the exercise about the same time every day so your body has time to properly recover for the next day's session. Don't do the exercise when you first wake up, your muscles, tendons, etc., need to be warmed up somewhat. The Tyler Twist: There are many incorrect examples online. Remember this: do not use an arm band during the exercise. Your arms should be completely straight out in front of you while your injured arm is loaded. Reset between each rep by starting over with only the injured arm bent holding the flexbar by your side. Go at a smooth pace, not fast and not slow. Do not yank your injured arm straight out in front of you--be gentle, especially in the early weeks. Also, at no time will you ever use your injured arm forearm muscles to twist upward--always downward, and only resisting for 4 seconds or slightly longer for each rep. Remember, your injury was caused by gripping, so you'll need to concentrate on a somewhat tighter grip during the resistance exercise (a slightly stronger grip than is required to hold the flexbar immobile while under load)--this may cause slightly more discomfort, but it will eventually cause the body to reinforce the tendon fibers around the bone to make for a stronger structure. In my opinion you should force yourself to stay on your first bar for two weeks to develop a good foundation. If you think it's too easy after a week or so, then simply add a little torque with the uninjured arm/hand in order to make it more difficult for the injured arm during resistance--it's easy to do this by going beyond the starting position with the uninjured hand while setting up. Finally, therapists and doctors are very fond of post-exercise icing and stretching--in fact, they recommend you do it multiple times per day. That's fine if you want to go that route, but here's my take. I injured my elbow by swinging a racquet too many times and my forearm muscles simply weakened and couldn't keep up with the racquet whiplash over time--there was excessive stretching of the forearm muscles. Consequently, the tendons around the elbow began to bear the brunt of the work causing an inflamed elbow. My thought is, the Tyler Twist exercise forces you to stretch your forearm muscles while under load, so there's no need to do any extra stretching to the injured muscles. Next, inflammation on any part of the body sends a signal to the brain that there's a problem that needs repair. While icing may be good for a trauma to reduce major swelling, your tennis elbow is likely due from overuse, not a single traumatic event. With that in mind, it makes sense to allow the inflammation to continue to cause a request for help from my nerve center in order to effect a speedier repair vs impeding signals to the brain by icing. The signals will stop once the inflammation has completely subsided on its own. My two cents. Be sure to do the exercise about the same time every day so you can properly recover before the next day's session. Drink lots of water, avoid excess salt and get as much sleep as possible. Good luck!