Relieve Golfers and Tennis Elbow with floss bands
Video Transcript
Dr. Alibhai: So, which finger is it that hurts again?
Patient: This one. That’s the one that’s swollen.
Dr. Alibhai: Okay. So this swelling here, obviously, it’s coming from repetitive use. But this tendon that comes from here, if you do this, it’s coming from higher up.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: Often, the issues with the fingers are coming from the tightness in the forearms, which are pretty, pretty tender.
Dr. Alibhai: So what we want to do is take this band, called the Voodoo Floss Band, and you’re going to wrap it from the bottom going up towards the heart.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: So, 50 percent tension on it. Most people don’t put enough tension. The first part is the hardest because you want to be able to contain it and then get enough of a bite.
Dr. Alibhai: So there’s the 50 percent tension, yes. And then there’s an upper section towards it here. If your arm starts to go numb, you take it off.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: And then this gets tucked underneath.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: So you have something to pull the pin quickly and undo it.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: So, what we want to do is be able to stretch it. You can even do it this way.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: And then this way. So just load into your hand like this on the table. Can you do that and feel a stretch to the front of the forearm?
Patient: Yeah.
Dr. Alibhai: So through. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I’m feeling that. And you can even put some more weight in through there. All right. Good. Then you can take your arm up and just do some rotation. Yeah. And then play with it, trying to get to the end range. You can even do that and then twist it and do like a waiter’s tip.
Dr. Alibhai: Like you’re looking for a tip, and you can feel more of that pull through there. So it’s the end range. That’s where all the juice is, that’s where all the benefits are going to come. And you’re flossing the tendon as it comes through here, all the way to that finger. Same thing here, and then switch it. Now you can actually…
Dr. Alibhai: Add some length and use your other hand.
Patient: Would I just push with the fingertips?
Dr. Alibhai: Yeah, just on the fingertips. Do you have any numbness in your hand?
Patient: Yeah, it’s feeling a little, but nothing too crazy.
Dr. Alibhai: Okay, so about 90 seconds is fine.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Alibhai: Then you’re going to unwrap it.
Patient: It’s feeling better.
Dr. Alibhai: It’s feeling better?
Patient: Yeah.
Dr. Alibhai: What feels better? When you flex your fingers?
Patient: Yeah, when I flex my fingers. Before, it would just kind of sit like that. But now I can feel a bend. I don’t want to force it. Isn’t that crazy?
Dr. Alibhai: So you’re basically taking the garbage out and bringing the new blood flow, the new groceries in. With the repetitive strain, I would say do this every day for the first five days. Then you can do it every other day. Eventually, we’re going to get you doing some eccentric training with weights where you’re holding the weight.
Dr. Alibhai: And you’re resisting it going back down. Instead of just doing an arm curl, which contracts it, you would hold the weight with the other hand, bring this arm back up, put it here, and then slowly bring it back down. So we strengthen that tendon again.
Patient: Okay, sounds good. How about the massager?
Dr. Alibhai: Oh, you want this? Okay, cool. So this one here…
Patient: Which one should I use?
Dr. Alibhai: Good, that’s good. Thank you.
