It's recommended that you roll in and out slowly. You can hold the rollers on the points that are most sore, often referred to as "trigger points." While holding on those points, you also can rotate or flex and extend your wrist. This will tighten the muscle under the pressure, which immitates a massage move called "pin and stretch," where the therapist holds the point and then stretches the limb, i.e. arm or leg, to stretch the muscle that is being "pinned" and deliver a strong, therapeutic effect that relaxes the muscle.
Of course, you can remove the foam rubber "feet" and slip in the suction cups, which will allow you to mount the Roleo to any smooth surface so it can be used without being held by the other hand, or even to a vertical surface such as a window or mirror so that it can be used at a different angle that might be better for you.
That's about all there is to know.
There is no substitute for experience, so the right way to use the Roleo is... to use it! Just use it. Put it on the desk or table and sit and roll your hand and arm in. Feel where it needs the extra massaging, which is usually the more sore part of the muscle, and massage that point with the Roleo until the pain decreases or goes away completely.
For chronic hand and wrist pain, or to prevent it, just make sure to use your Roleo every day, a few times a day if needed. A few minutes per use is all it takes to roll your pain away (or to keep it from getting painful in the first place.
For fun, here is a video of me using the Roleo the right way... for me.
Everyone has their own way of doing it. Carpal tunnel, repetitive strain or repetitive stress sufferers, dentists, dental hygienists, guitarists, pianists, drummers, massage therapists, office workers, bodybuilders, pickleball players, tennis players, golfers, people who like knitting, artists, sculptors, the list is truly endless. These are the jobs and hobbies that cause hand and wrist pain, and they are all a bit different, so there is nothing better than using the Roleo and just feeling where the massage is needed to teach the user the "right way" to use the product.
Thanks for taking a look and trying our Roleo, and happy rolling!
]]>Backs, necks, legs, arms, hips shoulders... all of these areas can become problematic for massage therapists, or for anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet, or doing any number of repetitive actions. But for many hobbies and professions, the arms, wrists and hands are more likely to show symptoms of repetitive strain than other parts of the body, and these symptoms, if they aren’t treated promptly (or better yet, avoided entirely by taking preventive measures) can cause lost work time and workers’ compensation claims, or worse, end careers entirely.
The Roleo was my idea to address hand and wrist issues in the massage therapy workplace, and massage therapists have enthusiastically embraced the product. I have spoken to many therapists about how the Roleo has helped them enjoy their work again and prolong their careers.
But I’m not only a massage therapist. Since childhood, I’ve been a musician and have spent a lot of time with other musicians in various bands and orchestras. So while I invented the Roleo primarily to help massage therapists, it quickly became obvious that many other professionals and hobbyists could also benefit from the preventive and treatment benefits of using the Roleo every day. And while we received thanks from athletes, therapists, hair stylists, dental hygienists, and so on, one of the groups we hear most from are musicians, mostly guitar players (especially gratifying for me as I have been a guitarist my whole life), but also drummers and pianists, telling us how the Roleo has helped them.
I’d like to share a few of my most treasured testimonials, and not merely to illustrate how great a selfcare tool the Roleo is, and it is also the only non-electric selfcare tool for hands, wrists and forearms that provides its own massage pressure and can be used “hands-free” because with the included suction cups the device can be firmly fixed to any smooth surface, horizontal, vertical, or in between. These testimonials are especially rewarding because of how these musicians share the happiness and relief they experienced after using the Roleo and realizing they could play again.
“As a professional guitarist, the onset of wrist tendinitis and possible carpal tunnel was not good news. And when a hand doctor only gave me a wrist brace and said "If it hurts, don't do it", I was left completely in the dark. Physical Therapy was an option...but prior experience with ultra-sound, electricity, and laser treatments.......seemed like a waste of time. Then I found the Roleo, invented by a massage therapist looking to make an inexpensive product that could offer real help to those similarly afflicted. Just the idea that my wrist and hand pain could be caused by a problem "upstream" (closer to the elbow) was a revelation. And as soon as I began using this wonderful device —tailored to the condition, I knew I had struck gold. The bottom line is I can now play a guitar without any pain. And Paul, the Roleo inventor has become a real-life hero to me. Thank you.”
-Dan Axelrod, jazz musician and historian, New York, NY
“I have to tell you how incredible this product is for me. I was a dedicated guitarist for 7 years and had to stop a few months back and convert over to piano due to left hand cramping. The 1st time I used my Roleo, I was impressed so much, and within a few days I was playing guitar again. I spent the last few days smiling… I am back as a guitarist… this devise gave me back my musicianship.”
- Keith A., July, 2014
“I have treated thousands of professional touring musicians and have seen great results by recommending the Roleo massager for issues ranging from tendinitis, carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, DeQuervain's and trigger finger. Proper home-care is key when treating or preventing repetitive strain injuries and the Roleo is both a simple and effective tool. “
-Dr. Charlie Kautz, DC "The Musician's Physician"
Many customers tell me they thought the only way for them to deal with the pain in their hands and arms was to stop the activity that caused the pain in the first place. If a person is a professional (guitarist, therapist, etc.), that means they can’t continue to make a living, and if they are musical hobbyists (or artists of any type, or into knitting, gardening, or other hand-intensive hobbies), that means giving up something they love to do that adds to their quality of life. The thing that is most gratifying, then, is when I hear that using our product enabled them to get their lives back, to return to the thing they love to do, or to be able to go back to work.
It's important, as a business, to have sustained success, in our case in the form of sales. And we do. But the thing that makes it really worthwhile is that our Roleo doesn’t just help people with their pain. It has the potential to help them return to activities they love, that they thought they might no longer be able to do, and to continue to make a living in their chosen profession.
Other products do a lot of different things. Some have more applications for different parts of the body, but with those products, the user must exert some kind of force to create the pressure needed to treat the pain. All you do with Roleo is slide your hand, wrist and arm between the rollers, in and out, slowly or quickly. You can hold your phone with your other hand. Or a sandwich. You can use it anywhere at any time, and it’s easy. Just a few minutes a day is enough.
Roleo only does one thing: treating and preventing symptoms of repetitive strain in the forearms, wrists and hands, and we think it does that better than any other product. Have back pain? Leg soreness? There are products for those too, but they can’t take care of hands like the Roleo.
]]>Some Pickleball players use both hands, meaning they could get golfer’s elbow and/or tennis elbow in either or both hands! Shouldn’t they get their own condition? Pickleball-elbow? Pick-elbow? Pickle-elbow?
In any event, whether it hurts on the one side of the elbow or forearm or the other, it hurts, getting in the way of enjoying and excelling at the activity, and it’s caused by repetitive bending of the wrist, under force, to either extend, flex, or rotate it, which happens each time you swing a racquet, bat, or club, throw a baseball, or roll a bowling ball. Or do curls at the gym.
While we’re at it, let’s not forget all the people with repetitive strain of the forearms, wrists, and hands unrelated to sports or exercise: chefs, plumbers, auto mechanics, professional drivers, people with desk jobs, hair stylists, dentists and dental hygienists... massage therapists! This is the short list. These jobs all require similar repetitive movements to sports. It’s safe to say that a majority of adults are at risk of developing chronic pain just from doing their jobs.
It’s well established that massage therapy is great for muscle soreness from physical activity. It’s also proven that regular massage helps athletes and hobbyists avoid injury and chronic conditions caused by repetitive strains that are common consequences of sports and exercise. But for many people, massage is a luxury. And to treat pain from chronic repetitive strain injuries of the wrist or forearm, such as can be caused by pickleball, tennis, golf, baseball, cricket, curling, etc., massaging the area every day for a week or so might be indicated. And then regular massage every week or two for maintenance. Not many people outside of professional athletes with access to a team staff or the very wealthy can afford that.
Even if you can afford a massage every other week, do you want to spend most of the time on your forearms and hands? When I get a massage, the main areas I want to address are the ones that get the sorest, like my neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips. Feet can often use some attention, and also the legs, which support the hips and back and are involved in most sports or exercise. As a former massage therapy educator and practitioner I recognize the benefits of a full body treatment, but I prefer the therapist focus on the above areas and spend little if any time on my face, hands, wrists, and forearms.
Please note, there’s nothing wrong with a good facial massage, but many therapists are not specially trained in it. Having a stranger’s hands on your face requires a lot of trust, and it’s just not for everyone. So, unless treating a headache, TMJ or sinus congestion, I prefer the therapist concentrate elsewhere.
The scalp is another story. Even if you never had a professional massage, you’ve probably had your hair washed at a salon, which usually involves some scalp massage, and know how great and relaxing it feels. Plus, it’s harder for me to reach.
That’s right. Another reason I prefer therapists not worry so much about face, hands, wrists, and forearms in favor of other problem areas is, I can reach those. I can massage my own face, which is easy for headaches and TMJ pain because I can feel exactly what spots to work on and how deeply. I often treat my TMJ with self-massage. But what about hands, wrists, and forearms? Sure, I can massage one hand with the other very effectively, but then the hand I was massaging with needs a massage, so I massage it with the one I just treated... which then, of course, needs to be re-treated. You get the point.
This dilemma, as well as the expense of daily massage for chronic hand and forearm pain, is resolved by the Roleo Arm and Hand Massager. Most self-care tools require users to provide pressure by squeezing or pulling or using gravity. The Roleo provides its own massage pressure. In fact, you don’t need to use your other hand at all. Roleo has easy-to-install suction cups that, when affixed to a smooth surface, allow it to be used “hands free.” The user controls how it feels by adjusting the pressure, changing the speed and angle of the arm in between the rollers, and by focusing on sore, “trigger point” areas.
There are a lot of products out there, and many of them work. That being said, there is nothing affordable for self-massage of the torso (neck, shoulders, hips and back) besides trigger point, “cane” type devices that require some practice, knowledge of massage points, and for the user to provide pressure by pulling with the arms. Foam rolling uses gravity. Other roller products, meant for arms and legs, mostly, require the user to hold the product and move it up and down, or supply pressure through gripping with the hands.
We feel that Roleo is the best product out there for hand, wrist, and forearm pain from repetitive strains. It’s so easy to use, can be affixed to a desk or table (or window, for that matter), and requires no physical exertion outside of moving the arm back and forth between the rollers. It’s intuitive to use. Since it is “self-massage,” the user is in full control of the amount of and placement of the pressure, so it’s never too strong or too light, or missing the spot.
Regular massage therapy helps with chronic pain from sports, exercise, jobs, and hobbies, but most people don’t have the time or money to receive it often enough. Products like Roleo are great for everyday use and treatment, and as a bridge between regular massage sessions with a therapist.
]]>Computer Users and Typists. Repetitive typing and key entry has traditionally been associated with missing work due to CTS. The risk for CTS in this group, however, is still much lower than it is in occupations involving heavy labor. Although more than 10% of computer users complain of CTS symptoms, the evidence implicating computer use as a major cause of CTS is weak.
Other Very High-Risk Workers. Workers in the meat and fish packing industries and those who assemble airplanes have the highest risk for CTS, according to one study. Meat packers complained of pain and loss of hand function as long ago as the 1860s. Even today, the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in the meat, poultry, and fish packing industries may be as high as 15%. CTS may also affect as many as 10% of automobile workers.
Musicians. Musicians are at very high risk for CTS and other problems related to the muscles and nerves in the hands, upper trunk, and neck. In one study, 20% of musicians reported CTS or other nerve disorders in the hands and wrists.
Highest to Lowest Numbers of CTS Events by Job. The following is a list of occupations published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which rates workers with the highest to lowest total numbers of CTS-related events:
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, November 2011
Workers' Compensation and CTS. The issues surrounding workers' compensation make it difficult to accurately determine whether labor conditions cause carpal tunnel pain. However, CTS is a major contributor to workers' compensation cases.
Psychosocial Factors in the Workplace. Studies indicate that psychosocial factors in the workplace, such as intense deadlines, a poor social work environment, and low levels of job satisfaction are major contributors to carpal tunnel pain.
At Home and Play. People who intensively cook, knit, sew, do needlepoint, play computer games, do carpentry, or use power tools are at increased risk for CTS. Long-distance cycling may worsen symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
]]>Even with all this support, daily self-care with Roleo is important, to relieve tight muscles and tendons. Great for warming up before a workout to avoid injury, and after, to relieve symptoms by breaking down tight muscle and scar tissue and increasing blood and lymph flow.
Spencer Moran is a pitching prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays* organization. Spencer reached out to us after reading about the Roleo and asked if it would help his soreness from pitching. After receiving his Roleo, here’s what he had to say:
“I received the Roleo, and I love it. It works perfectly. My forearm is always sore from pitching, but I have never been able to find a good way to roll it out. The Roleo is just the device I've been needing. It rolls the top and bottom of my forearm, and I can even turn my arm sideways to get a 360 degree roll. I use it every day. Sometimes twice a day. It is working like a charm. Thank you so much for solving my problem!”
]]>In the early days of Roleo, the unit made too much spring noise, the knob got stuck sometimes and wouldn’t turn or turn smoothly, or it would be too easy to turn it past the maximum, which would cause breakage. The pressure was too strong... or not strong enough. Mostly not strong enough.
Over the years, through trial and error, Massage U has worked with the engineers at the factory to improve the Roleo, specifically by listening to customers. You said it was too noisy, so we added a sleeve around the springs. You said it wasn’t strong enough, so we switched to a heavier spring to provide more pressure. You said the knob would break or come off too easily, so we fixed that too.
One thing people said was that while it was a great product and worked as advertised, it didn’t feel sturdy enough. This was said even though people have Roleos for many years without units breaking down. We knew it was sturdy, but if the perception was otherwise, that needed to be addressed.
The engineers came up with a simple solution: put more weight into the unit. They literally added a metal weight that increased the unit weight by almost one full pound. That was it; nothing else was changed. I worried that this was kind of cheating. It wouldn’t be sturdier, it would just feel more sturdy. Then again, that’s what people were saying: it worked great but didn’t feel sturdy enough.
But then we saw that adding the weight made the unit even quieter, and much more stable on a table or desk, therefore easier to use without the suction cups installed. So even though the impetus for the improvement was to make the Roleo feel sturdier, it ended up making the unit better in ways that we didn’t foresee.
Now we’re working on a new product. While we always wanted to (and will, someday) make a Roleo Foot Massager, we’re first developing a Roleo with vibrating (rechargeable) rollers. Why? We wouldn’t add a feature to our product just as a gimmick. Roleo has a great reputation in the industry for effectiveness, value, and quality, so putting out a gimmicky product isn’t in line with our company values.
We’re doing this because a National Institute of Health-recognized study shows that vibrating foam rollers are much more effective than foam rollers (which are already effective for muscle recovery). Since Roleo massages forearm and hand muscles, the effect of vibration on those muscles can only make a Roleo with vibration even more effective for chronic hand, wrist, and forearm conditions.
Improving a product is an expensive undertaking and often, after prototyping, companies decide it’s not worth the investment. We love our Roleo product and stand behind it, so making major changes is never taken lightly. We have always listened to our customers and made adjustments and improvements accordingly. Our main goal of improvement is not to sell more units, it’s to make a product that is better for our customers.
]]>Not a big problem? CTS and RSI is an epidemic, medical and financial, with individual, organizational, national and even global repercussions. So why, with all our information, technology, and advances in medicine and fitness, do these conditions still have such a major impact?
Conventional treatments are expensive and time-consuming (physical therapy, doctor’s visits), or risky, painful, often ineffective, and with dangerous side effects (surgery, medication). Or require wearing an uncomfortable brace for months or even years. The treatment seems worse than the condition.
CTS and RSI are caused by repetitive motions, for example, typing on a computer all day. Muscles rub against the bones, ligaments and nerves in the wrist. Inflammation causes swelling, which compresses nerves. In severe cases, the nerve sheathes become damaged, causing chronic, debilitating pain.
Several years ago, as a therapist with chronic hand and wrist pain at a very busy LA day spa, I knew massage could help. One study concluded that, “the combination of massage and trigger-point therapy is a viable treatment option for carpal tunnel syndrome and offers a new treatment approach.”4 But massage can be expensive, and even massage therapists don’t have the time.
Self-massage, the study said, is also effective, but difficult to perform without training, and further contributes to strain in the massaging hand. Regular stretching, rest, and icing the area, when inflamed, are also important.
I had an idea to address this dilemma. I sketched it on a napkin. It looked like a miniature of an old clothing wringer. I scraped up money to pay a design firm to make a working prototype:
In the break room at the spa, my colleagues tried it on break and after work. It felt great, and it helped.
Getting the product manufactured is a whole other story, but years of design and prototypes have culminated in the current version of the Roleo Arm Massager (pat.pen.):
Roleo sits on your desk or table. It has suction cups that the user can easily install for true one-handed operation. The knob increases or decreases the pressure of the rollers. All you do is slip your hand and arm between the rollers, up to the elbow, and move the arm slowly in and out, holding the pressure on “trigger points,” or tight sections of muscle, and letting these points release. Rolling replicates effleurage strokes, which move blood and lymph in and out of the area. By combining the muscle-stripping action with trigger point, muscles release, and symptoms are eased or resolved.
Here’s a video demo of the Roleo Arm Massager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uv5kjHu_HQ
Roleo can be used as needed. A few minutes a day is usually sufficient to ease and prevent symptoms. People who find it too intense may use it on the lightest setting and even wear a sleeve to cushion the sore areas.
With stretching (good stretching video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KRtQppsUHc), icing, and rest, Roleo can help keep you pain free and on the job. It can be used alone or as part of a treatment plan including chiropractic and physical therapy. And at a very low cost when compared to other methods, it is well worth a try. Best of all: NO SIDE EFFECTS. Don’t wait until you need surgery. Be proactive and self-treat with Roleo (or massage), stretching, rest and ice.
]]>What’s more, the smaller, friendlier court makes Pickleball great exercise for all ages. It was actually invented by a couple of dads as an easier form of tennis for their youngsters. Many adults are moving from tennis or even racquetball to pickleball to save their knees and avoid more intense exertion that may be too taxing for older hearts and joints. For example, a gentleman I know, an avid paddleball and tennis player his entire life, recently took up Pickleball. He’s 91.
Even though Pickleball is more forgiving on the body than tennis, it is still fast paced and challenging, which is why people love it. So, to avoid injury and play better, preventive self-care is an essential part of any amateur athlete’s regimen, as much as it is for professionals.
This begins with a good stretching routine. Some advice has it that you should stretch before your workout. You can also find the opposite advice. The solution? Stretch before AND after. Beforehand, focus on the legs and arms to loosen the muscles and avoid strains. Afterward, use longer and deeper stretches for the limbs and torso help the muscles recover and prevent soreness.
It’s easy to find a good stretch routine. Entering “stretching routine for Pickleball” brings up 124,000 hits on Google. You can add “for seniors,” for “50-year-olds,” or other terms to find a routine more specific to you. Of course, as with any exercise regimen, before trying any stretching program or sport, make sure to check with your physician to ensure that it’s healthy for you.
Aside from pulled muscles in the legs and sore shoulders, Pickleballers experience the same hand, wrist, and arm issues as tennis players, including the infamous “Tennis Elbow,” or Lateral Epicondylitis, which sounds much more impressive. Or even “Golfer’s Elbow,” or Medial Epicondylitis. Turns out you don’t need to play golf to get Golfer’s Elbow.
Either one of these chronic conditions can make playing Pickleball less enjoyable. The good news is that it’s not hard to avoid developing arm and hand pain conditions in the first place. (To repeat: please do not self-diagnose, especially if your pain is persistent, sharp, or limiting, so if your pain is more than general soreness, please consult a physician before starting any program or sport).
Googling “stretches for epicondylitis” or even “carpal tunnel stretches,” which target some of the same muscles, can help you avoid any hand or wrist pain that develops, especially when starting a new activity and using your body in unfamiliar ways. Another valuable tool is massage.
Most people can’t afford to spend the money on a massage every week or so. Not a problem, though, as again, if you Google “self-massage for hands and forearms,” for example, you’ll find many videos on YouTube elsewhere. One of the downsides of self-massage is that you’re using one hand to provide force to massage the other hand, which eventually makes the massaging hand sore.
One option that doesn’t require the user massage one hand with the other and can help prevent and manage any Pickleball-associated arm, wrist, and hand pain, is the Roleo Arm and Hand Massager (www.roleomassager.com).
Roleo works on a very simple, user-friendly concept: roll your hand and arm into the Roleo and slowly direct the pressure where needed. Two bumps on the top roller allow the user to focus on specific muscles. You can hold it in your lap or put it on a table or desk. The package includes suction cups that can be easily installed to secure the device to a smooth surface.
You think “Lateral Epicondylitis” sounds impressive? Well, most likely, the culprit is an even more impressive sounding muscle called extensor carpi radialis brevis, which helps extend and abduct the wrist, the exact motion used for a backhand shot, so it goes to reason that repeating that motion without stretching or massage can lead to pain.
Other products help, of course, but the Roleo is the only we’re aware of that targets those specific hand and arm muscles, provides its own massage pressure, and is affordable and sturdy. It feels good and is so easy to use you can do work calls or browse while treating your arms. Roleo works by replicating the mechanical effects of Swedish massage (effleurage) and Trigger Point techniques, which have both been proven effective in treating muscle pain and injury.
Another good product that targets other parts of the body like the shoulders, hips and low back is The ReLever, a roller product that uses a body leverage system to provide unprecedented pressure to the larger muscles like the trapezius and hip flexors that can also get sore while playing Pickleball, and provides effective massage to the muscle tissue.
Pickleball is here to stay and it’s growing. If you’re going to play, a good stretching regimen and self-care tools like the Roleo and ReLever will help you feel great, and when you feel great, you play better!
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
When the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel get inflamed, they can put pressure on the median nerve in the hand that runs parallel to them. This can cause a number of symptoms, like pain and numbness in the hand and wrist and tingling in the fingers. Left untreated too long, it can even lead to muscle atrophy in the hand, especially below the thumb.
There are a lot of potential causes of carpal tunnel syndrome. These include repetitive motions, forceful use of the wrist, extended vibration, and poor posture (especially when performing repetitive or forceful movements, as in typing or industrial work). Other risk factors include obesity, arthritis, and pregnancy.
Relief Through Massage
Surgery is often needed for advanced carpal tunnel syndrome, but if you begin treatment early, you might never get to that point. Massaging the forearm and wrist is a good way to ease the symptoms of and eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome. The Roleo is a massage therapist–approved method of providing relief to this area. If you suspect you might have carpal tunnel syndrome, be sure to talk to both a doctor and a massage therapist.