arm aid... gimmick or legit??

Curious to know people's experiences with the arm-aid device. I'm the type of person who is prone to tight muscles and injuries. I find that things like lacrosse balls and foam rollers usually don't provide enough pressure to use for proper myofascial release. Can you get enough force with the arm aid? Seems like it might be a bit counter intuitive if you have to squeeze really hard and use the muscles that you're trying to relax, lol. The best thing I've found for this is getting on all fours and cranking into my forearm with my knee. 

So arm aid... worth it for 60$?

I have an older one and it worked pretty well. I found it better at digging deeper into spots better than a lacrosse ball. You're not going to get the full kneel on your forearm effect without more time investment. You don't have to squeeze that hard so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Mine suggested putting rubber bands around the hand piece to reduce the squeezing required but I never found it worth the effort.

That said, it's pretty much retired in favor of a massage gun.

Dan Gozdz wrote:

I have an older one and it worked pretty well. I found it better at digging deeper into spots better than a lacrosse ball. You're not going to get the full kneel on your forearm effect without more time investment. You don't have to squeeze that hard so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Mine suggested putting rubber bands around the hand piece to reduce the squeezing required but I never found it worth the effort.

That said, it's pretty much retired in favor of a massage gun.

Which one do you use? Is it significantly better than the Arm Aid? Feeling my elbows more as I’ve been climbing again and have been curious about the Arm Aid.

Arm aid is awesome.  Other benefits: 

Decent calf massage. I get less flash pumped if I use it before climbing. You get less weird looks than bringing the massage gun to the crag. If you don't like it someone will buy it off you.

Full disclosure, I know the inventor (Terry) having met him back in 2014 at the OR Trade Show.

With that said my personal experience is the Arm Aid works really well. Back in 2014 I was suffering from severe elbow tendonitis from climbing that became exacerbated by doing trail work with an emphasis on swinging a stone hammer. When I was introduced to the Arm Aid I couldn't lift a full Nalgene bottle without experiencing discomfort. The first time I used it I experienced an immediate release and after using it diligently (while being careful not to overuse it) I was left with functioning elbows once again. Once I was back to a pain free base line I was able to use it intermittently to address elbow soreness after hard climbing or work days. I got to know my trigger points and could release tension in 30 seconds or less. 

The thing that I always liked about Terry is that he was always upfront about the fact that what the Arm Aid offered wasn't anything new in terms of therapy, but rather what he felt his product offered was a more efficient and effective way for individuals to deliver a well known and commonly used therapy.

I have one.  It works.  Once I figured out how to treat my forearm issue, I just use a lacrosse ball or the corner of a wall now.  They work just as well.  Releasing tension in the forearm is not going to magically fix tendonitis/osis.  It may feel like it helps (probably does help), but if you use the alleviated pain to go back to the originally offending activities, then it won't be fixed.  Use a cheap lacrosse ball to generally warm-up and loosen tissues and then follow a good pre-hab routine including shoulder & wrist mobility/strengthening.  The elbow, like the knee is a "between" joint and often issues arise from up or downstream (shoulder or wrist) problems.  Eccentrics work wonders.

*Lateral elbow pain can originate from the triceps...shoulder pain can be bicep irritation.  Think about looking more globally to resolve tweaks/pain.  

Thanks all! seems like the majority have had positive experiences

Yes, I'm aware that only proper strengthening heals these types of injuries. Most climbers have muscular imbalances from all the pulling so its important to strengthen things like forearm extensors and triceps. Stability is going to be essential as well. Some great exercises for stability and strength are wrist pronation/supination with a hammer or a dumbbell, shoulder YTWs with bands or dumbbells, and upside-down kettlebell press. Wall angels are awesome for opening up that hunched over climbing posture as well. Eccentrics are great for keeping the fingers and forearms healthy as they allow the connective tissues to be adequately loaded without stressing them as much as concentrics. Eccentric finger rolls with a barbell, eccentric pull ups and all that are excellent.

That being said, myofascial release goes hand in hand with prehab training and is a great tool for prevention (ie use right after a session) and for pain management. I don't think I would use the arm aid to warm up before a climb, since myofascial release/static stretching is shown to decrease muscular power output when done before activity. I'm especially interested in arm aid for its portability. When I'm on a climbing trip, camping in the woods I don't have access to a gym. I'll generally bring a band or two, but its also hard to find flat surfaces for rolling with a lacrosse ball (especially the arms).

Thinking I might have to try out the arm aid. putting your arm in it and then tying it closed seems like a great idea as well... a cam strap would probably get that sucker nice and tight, haha. 

Little late seeing this. But I was introduced to an Arm Aid years ago. I have my own and I use it every time I go climbing. They really work if you know how to use it properly. I dont go to the crag without it anymore lol. It also works great in between burns to massage out the pump. As well as work the elbow and forearm tendons.