I recently developed a bad case of tennis elbow in both arms. Early onset was characterized by a dull ache in my forearms, followed by more pronounced pain in the forearms, then sharp pain in the elbows. My ortho suggested massage as one possible treatment option. I had several sessions of deep tissue and trigger point massage that were very helpful in alleviating pain. The downside of massage is that the sessions are expensive and time consuming.

The Armaid device does a great job at approximating deep tissue. When you insert your arm in the device, one side has a rubber roller, while the other side has three rotating balls. You can either roll your arm through the device, or focus on trigger points. By gripping the top of the device, you can adjust the pressure. Having tried other self-massage tools, none have been able to come up with a level of intensity of a trigger point session with a masseuse as well as the armaid. You can also adjust the degree of firmness by swapping out parts – there are three sets of roller balls that range from hard to soft.

By rotating the device, you can also massage the lower side of your forearms. You could also use this on biceps and triceps as well. I spent most of my day at a keyboard, and have starting using this to massage my hands as well.

I’ve incorporated the armaid into a broader set of activities – stretching, weights, heat and cold – and I’ve been able to resume climbing after taking about six weeks off. Overall, I think it has been very helpful.