Many people suffer with pain in their hands, wrist and arms due to such things as arthritis, or tendonitis such as tennis elbow, or repetitive motion injuries/ carpal tunnel syndrome. People in some professions, such as mine, dentistry, experience these problems at a rate higher than most of the rest of society. While I have been fortunate to avoid such problems for the most part, I know many who have suffered from arm, wrist or hand pain to varying degrees.
A new product is now available to help people who suffer from this type of pain, or for those who are willing to do exercises to reduce their chance of developing such pain. The Xtensor is an innovative exercise aid you place on your hand which allows you to do a number of different exercises aimed at strengthening the joints/tendons and muscles of the hands, fingers, and arms. When I was growing up my Dad always had this spring type device with two handles that you squeezed together to help strengthen the hands. This provided only one particular excercise, whereas the Xtensor provides a wide array of possibilities.The company provides the following Xtensor Overview:
Xtensor is a core training tool that improves range of motion in your fingers and structural stability in the wrist and elbow.
I found the device easy to set up and learn how to use. Included with the package is a short but very good instructional disc showing the use of the device and the various recommended exercises and their purpose.
I have a hygienist who works for me who is a much better hygienist than “inner-tuber”. She flew off an inner tube being pulled behind my office manager’s boat, but forgot to let go of the tube. The result was a humerus (upper arm) broken in three places, which was NOT humorous. As she was going through rehab for the arm I received the device and gave it to her to use for several weeks. She stated that she definitely noticed a strengthening of her arm from the exercises and plans on purchasing one the devices herself and one for a relative.
The resistance comes from rubber rings you attach to the unit. Your fingers slip through as shown in the photos. The exercises involve extending the fingers in various ways; for example, in one exercise you wiggle the fingers only (great for guitar or ukulele players) while in many others you extend your fingers while moving your arm and hand in certain directions. For tennis elbow sufferers you extend the fingers while moving the arm in a tennis swing motion. The instructional disc shows you how to do the various exercises and I’m sure you could make some of your own up. The unit has two thumb rings, so you can use the unit on both hands. The tension provided by the rings can be increased or decreased by attaching the rings to the palm part of the device in one of three positions. Three sizes of rings are provided so the Xtensor should fit the fingers of most people.
I found the unit very comfortable to use, but it gives you a workout. You could certainly tell your arm/hand/fingers had been through a workout, but I had no lingering pain at all. Anyone who works extensively with their hands would find the Xtensor useful at combating elbow/hand/wrist pain and tendonitis as well as an excellent way to try to prevent such problems. All of this and they charge just $39.95 for it. Frankly, I think that is a steal, and it doesn’t require batteries!!
Product Information
| Price: | $39.95 |
| Manufacturer: | Xtensor |
| Pros: |
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I use thee GRIPMASTER 9LB. version.
if you game alot, draw, type, shoot weapons or just carry heavy items that require fingers more than hands to stabilize, then i recommend one in your range. they have versions that require less tension and the site and package has samples for specific aims such as musicians and the such. i carried to fully loaded PCs with 3 fingers up/down the stairs where i usually loose grip, not after messing with this for 3 days of playing with it. about 3 hours (i sit at a desk and use it as my stress reliever too).
citation needed:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006GCBL4/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006GC5D8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0B3RA3JDSBJFF3P7ATJT
The GripMaster exercises the gripping muscles. The Xtensor exercises the opposite muscles. I’ve seen this or something like it in a catalog and thought to get it for a friend, but did not since I could not find any reviews or customer comments about it anywhere else. So thanks for this review!
I have used this device for over a month now and I can feel the difference in my hand strength. It has helped the cramping in my hand when working for long periods of time. I would recommend to anyone who uses their hands in a repetitive job.
This product is good in intention however has several problems. First it is not good for large hands. Second, and perhaps most important, the finger bands break very easily (I generally only get 7 days of use before having to replace at least one band). Third, the bands are expensive to replace. Fourth, I ordered an extra set of bands when I purchased the Xtensor and the company shipped it separately in a large box so the shipping was twice the price of the bands. I strongly advise not purchasing this product mostly because its use will be very expensive over time.
I agree with Evodevo. The idea was great, but the bands are way too flimsy. For $40 I would expect something much more durable. I’ve had one break every time I use the thing, and I am only using the first notch, I don’t dare move down to the second or third notches. I decided to just make my own bands out of some bungee string, they work great and don’t break…only problem is that the loop I made for the fingers is not as comfortable as the ones on their flimsy bands.
I recently purchased one off E-Bay, great concept, but poorly designed product. No clue how this guy who wrote this review to see problems i.e. bands slipping out of the slot designed to hold the, bands easily breaking.
I would strongly suggest you not waste your money on this product!
Yes, same problem to me. More, i contacted Scott Kupferman trough Skype and he told me about prestreching…. it solved the problem of heads slipping from the holes during extentions but elastics still crack easily in 1 day, 1 of them broke during prestreching!
xmouserblitz: I’d like to know where have u found your elastics that works great, i actually tried to find some but it was difficult even find the right store and the right elastic.
I bought a Xtensor about a month ago, my bands broke, now I can’t seem to find anyone who will sell me a few sets of bands, what a piece of shit this turned out to be
Yet another reviewer who didn’t bother to research the product before writing a review. Five minutes on Amazon would have told him that the bands break after only one or two uses. Had the reviewer informed himself he could have tested the durability himself and added his findings to the review.
My own experience confirms the fraudulence of this product: the bands broke after about 15 minutes of use. The manufacturer undoubtedly knows the product is defective yet still defrauds buyers with it.