Over the last few weeks, I have been continuing to look for ways to to rehab my left thumb. This has been going very well. The dime-sized lump that had accumulated from all of the tension has subsided quite a bit. In fact, I can barely feel it anymore when I do my self massage.

I have also moved my recuperative focus upwards, trying to ease some tension I have been feeling in my brachoradialis and extensor tendon on the lateral epicondyle. I know from past experience that epicondylitis is nothing to joke about. That pain can be vicious and keeps you from training at the high level you want to, making your numbers drop and becoming a thorough distraction in your workouts.

I recently added a very simple implement to my lower arm and thumb rehab protocol – the Dynaflex Powerball. These things have been around for years. They have been very popular amongst many of the other grip competitors for use in getting properly warmed up before contests. I finally got around to picking on up last weekend.

The Powerball has a gyroscope inside of it that can be spun faster and faster as you rotate it in your hand. As the speed goes up, you must work harder to control it and maintain your grasp. This translates into a surge of new fresh blood circulating into the forearm and hand. I’ve found that by changing my grip on the ball, I can get more activation of my thumb musculature and by modifying the way I move my wrist, I can change the point of emphasis in my forearm.

I have been taking the Powerball right with me to work. There are tons of opportunities to rehab when walking from the car into the building, when going to a meeting or waiting for one to start, and during lunch. It’s nice to run it for 5 or ten minutes and get a fresh pump in my forearm several times a day. The pain in my forearm is going away already.

I’ve found several ways to start the Powerball. I don’t even use the string any more, and I have set myself a goal to one day be able to start it with just a flick of the thumb while holding it in one hand.

The Dynaflex Powerball is available at many sporting goods stores, but you can get them at Amazon, too!

All the best in your training,

-Jedd-

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Tags: forearm pain, grip strength, hand strength, injury rehab recover from injury, powerball, recover, recuperation, rehabilitation, soreness, thumb pain

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under how to improve grip strength, how to tear cards, injury rehab recover from injury. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.