That “feel-good” hurt…

While there are any number of items you might expect to see passed around a campfire on a chilly spring evening in the middle of the Red River Gorge, a wacky-looking contraption designed to massage one’s forearms is probably not first on the list.  But that’s just what happened at our campsite on our most recent trip to the Red.  Why?  If you assumed it was due to overindulging in one of the many other items that are more commonly passed around a campfire, you’d be wrong again.  

Let me back up.  Steve and I first discovered the Armaid a couple of years ago when our friend Caleb whipped it out at the crag one day.  After the initial flurry of innuendos hypothesizing various off label uses, one by one we were all amazed after giving it a try.  Fast forward to last fall when Steve began noticing a few of the tell tale signs of elbow tendonitis, feelings that most climbers are all too familiar with.  I decided the Armaid would be the perfect Christmas gift (romantic, yes?)  

 The premise behind Armaid is really quite simple (as well as scientifically proven.)  You can read a more detailed description on their website, but basically everything boils down to two basic therapies – circulatory and trigger point massage.  Circulatory massage flushes toxins out of the tissue and allows fresh blood and nutrients to enter into the muscle.  Trigger point massage uses pressure to break up painful areas of knotted muscle fibers   In layman’s terms, the Armaid provides a way for non-therapists to easily access sore, tight areas in the forearms and release the tension.  Steve and I use our Armaid every night after climbing, and sometimes even more often.  After a few minutes of “feel good hurt,” our previously pumped out forearms feel relaxed and rested.  Call us old and geriatric, but we don’t have elbow pain when we climb…and we’re not the only ones.   

Arm-aid is good for climbers of all ages.

Out of all the folks who have taken a turn with our Armaid recently, the only negative I ever hear is regarding the price.  At $100, it’s not what I’d call cheap.  To be honest, I think that was my main deterrent for waiting so long to buy one.  However, if you compare a singular one-time purchase, self care option to multiple insurance co-pays and PT appointments to get the same result, the cost doesn’t seem like a good excuse!  

But for those of you without the time and money to pay for either option, there’es always “therapy in a can.”  When I first spoke with Armaid inventor Terry Cross about the possibility of providing a giveaway or discount code in this post, this homemade Armaid alternative was ironically one of the first things he mentioned!  In fact, his exact words were these:  “If I happen to sell a few more Armaids from your article, that’s fine, but my goal is to get climbers to realize that they have a positive, specific way to help themselves with active release/trigger point techniques.”  I was floored.  In today’s greedy, money-hungry society, it was very refreshing to talk to someone that was in the business of helping others rather than themselves!

Arm-aidin’ at LOTA campground at the Red River Gorge

That being said, you don’t ABSOLUTELY have to have an Armaid to benefit from these techniques…it just makes it a whole lot easier.  But if $100 is too much to pay, why don’t I make it a little bit easier right now?  Terry was generous enough to offer a free Armaid to one lucky reader – all you have to do to enter is leave a comment below about how you think a product like this did help/would help/could help you.  (Extra entries for liking Cragmama and/or Armaid on facebook!)  Additionally, Terry has offered a discount of a whopping 20% off for all Cragmama readers – simply click here and mention “cragmama discount” in the comments section when filling out your online order.  Contest will run through Friday, May 31st, and the discount will expire on June 20, so act now!  Best of luck, everyone!