Cool Equipment You Can Make Yourself…

Here is a Pronator / Supinator for elbow therapy:

Elbow pain is a common problem for climbers, throwers, tennis players and many others. A common therapy which can help with some elbow problems is to hold a hammer or similar object in your hand, with your arm at your side and your elbow flexed forward at 90°. The elbow is then rotated inward (pronated) and outward (supinated) through it’s range of motion resisting the weight of the hammer. The shortcoming of this simple idea is that the torque created by the hammer increases as the head moves out to one side or the other. But you can easily make this neat device, which keeps the rotational force equal through the movement and allows for easily setting the desired weight.

You’ll need a piece of PVC pipe big enough to get your fist inside. Mine is 4” inner diameter but I have small hands. The handle is 1” PVC held in place with end caps. The 1” hole can be drilled by hand, the PVC is easy to drill and cut. The end opposite the handle needs an end plug with a centered 1” hole. Mount a pipe flange and a 4” length of ¾” pipe on the wall at elbow height as shown above (if you’re going to use this with various people you either want to figure a way to make the height adjustable, or just mount flanges at various heights.) Drill a small hole in the center of the main tube and attach a length of cord. I got the weight carrier at Big Five, everything else at Home Depot.

Wrapping the string clockwise creates resistance in one direction, counterclockwise the opposite.

This type of therapy can help rehab and strengthen many elbow problems, but of course if yours does not improve you’ll be smart enough to see a doctor or therapist. My elbows are healthy and pain free, and I do a session on this thing twice a week to keep them that way.