I had almost forgot about the Thera-Band Flexbar I bought 5 years ago due to it working so well. I have not had a need to use it that much as it addressed the tennis elbow injury I sustained.
It was not until recently when I discovered it at the bottom of a box of various equipment. Thought it would be a good time to bring it back into the mix and use it again. I had forgotten how this simple looking thing can deliver a pretty good workout and address those nagging injuries.
Back in 2011 I suffered what could best be described as tennis elbow. It has never heeled 100% but I have been back to playing sports and working out for awhile. Some of that is due to the Thera-Band Flexbar.
I had hurt my arm – mostly around the elbow area – when I went out to get the relay throw from an outfielder as I was playing short stop. My teammates were yelling “3” so I knew a throw to 3rd base was my play.
It was a heated game so there was a little bit more intensity than normal. I remember throwing as hard as I could. Sadly, the throw was just off and the guy was safe.
I didn’t notice it at the time but by throwing harder I had over extended a number of things in and around my elbow. The adrenaline covered the pain and I finished the game.
The next morning though I was in some serious pain. My arm and in particular my elbow was throbbing. Not good.
I spent the next three weeks doing a whole lot of nothing due to the injury. Typing, working out, and lifting grocery bags hurt to do.
Went to two separate Drs. and physical therapists. They both said I had hyper-extended everything around my elbow. I had pain on the inside and outside of the elbow.
Whats embarrassing about all of this is they said the injury was not because of the throw I made. The throw was the event which caused everything to tear.
Turns out me typing on a keyboard and using a mouse for the past 9 years of my life was the culprit. Moving the mouse ever so slightly some tens of thousands of times caused tendons in and around my elbow to coil up. It burst when I made the hard throw.
The medical advice I received was to practice the RICE method (Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevated.) and use anti-inflammatory medicine when needed. I’m not big into pills if I don’t need to use them so I passed.
They also mentioned the healing process would take awhile since it’s an area of the body which is constantly used. Therefore its going to keep tearing and healing.
The last piece of advice they had was once the pain went away to start lightly strengthening the muscles around the area. They suggested a couple of stretches but that’s about it.
The stretches helped but how was I going to address the strengthening part? I headed to Google and did some searching for ways to heal tennis elbow injuries. The Thera-Band Flexbar kept coming up in the results so I bought one.
Upon Receiving the Thera-Band Flexbar
I opened it up and read through the instructions. It comes with an index card sized guide showing all the ways you can use the Flexbar.
It recommends using the various moves 10 to 15 times up to three times a day. The first time I used it I could feel it lengthening those tendons and most importantly alleviating the pain.
The first use was all I needed to get me on board with the Flexbar. I used it everyday for three months and it really helped. I’d say the pain was 90% gone after those first three months.
Here’s the thing. I could not bring myself to make a video of me using the Thera-Band Flexbar nor pictures showing the different grips.
You can probably tell by the Flexbars shape that it shares distinct qualities of a mans down stairs fleshy bits. While it would make for a good internet video I don’t think I could keep a straight face showing the versatility of the Flexbar to you.
This embarrassment happened shortly after buying the Flexbar. Upon making my return to the softball field I decided to use it before a game to warm up and stretch my arm. Well, the jokes started rolling and rightfully so. At the same time more than half of my team tried it out and were surprised how well the Flexbar worked.
I did find a simple video of the Thera-Band Flexbar showing a couple of the ways to use it.
Out of the “twist, bend, and shake” ways to use the Flexbar the “shake” way is why the comments are disabled on YouTube for that video.
Usually I keep it at home and use it before I head out to softball or even golf. It can garner some looks if you bring it out in public and try to be serious using it. Does make for a good laugh at parties though.
The “Tyler Twist” is the most effective way to use the Thera-Band Flexbar. It works all of the tendons needed to help combat a tennis or golf elbow injury.
Again, I did not see the need in making a video of me cranking down on the Flexbar due to me not being able to keep a straight face. There are however many videos on YouTube of people, mostly good-looking women of course, showing how the Tyler Twist works.
In Summary
Thera-Band makes four Flexbars of various resistance. I went with the second strongest. For up to $20 you really can’t go wrong with buying one and using it to help alleviate pains from tennis elbow, golfers elbow, and tendonitis. The Flexbar can also help improve grip strength.
Throw it in your backpack, golf or softball bag, or keep it on your desk and use it when necessary. When you use it for the first time you will feel a stretching in and around your elbow and up into your fingertips like you’ve never felt before.
I use the Flexbar for preventative maintenance during golf and softball seasons. My tennis elbow doesn’t flare up as much since I started using a MacBook Pro instead of an iMac. I believe it’s because my arms are straight out in front of me all the time instead of out on an angle using the separate trackpad.
Thera-Band makes a wide range of products but you cannot buy directly from them. It appears they have wholesale agreements with two particular websites along with the Thera-Band Amazon store where I bought my Flexbar.
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