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Used for: Protecting the UCL from strains and against Elbow hyperextension. For pre OR post injury.
Functionality
If you are involved in any sort of throwing sport, have had a previous elbow injury (especially to the UCL, or are worried about this happening) you NEED this brace.
Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) strain, also known as golfer’s elbow, is an injury that affects the tendon on the inner side of your elbow. This is opposed to tennis elbow, which effects the outer elbow.
Ever heard of Tommy John surgery? This is the procedure of UCL reconstruction which several throwing athletes, namely baseball players, have to endure after an injury and is always career altering, if not career ending.
Ever heard of the guy who performs Tommy John on most MLB players? Probably not, but his name is James Andrews and he worked directly with Bauerfeind to develop this brace, so you know it's legit.
This elbow brace is pretty wild, in the best way possible. As someone that grew up playing baseball every day and also in college as well as semi-professionally, I truly wished that this would have been around years ago as one of the main reasons I stopped playing (other than not being that good) was because of a UCL injury from when I was pitching.
Fortunately, this elbow brace was created for exactly for people like me (and maybe you). It uses the trademarked “Boa” closure system which allows you to change the tension in the strings which run through the brace that stop your elbow from hyperextending.
The Technology
This thing is surprisingly high-tech. Honestly, I’ve never really seen anything else like it on the market for athletic supports. The tightening system for the Boa is really cool, as all you do is turn the plastic knob at the top of the arm sleeve and you can see and feel the strings gaining tension. This is a little hard to explain, but you can get a good sense of what is going on in the pictures.
Releasing the tension is as easy as pulling on the button.
When I first tried this product about 6 months ago, I was really worried that the strings would snap as they look quite thin at first glance. However, this has thankfully not been the case at all. I have happily been using this product for half a year now and it’s in as good as condition as ever, and the strings are still holding up fine.
It’s interesting how this brace not only supports your elbow, but it actually stops injuries in their tracks. My elbow, and more specifically my UCL, has been seriously hurting me for years. I am not exaggerating when I say that throwing with this brace allowed me to play baseball pain-free for the first time in a loooong time.
With the risk of getting too emotional and overdramatic, I can sincerely say that when I realized what this brace was doing for my UCL it almost brought me to tears.
Prevention > Protection
Another key point is that the brace is not only for those who have already injured their elbow, but for prevention as well. If you’re iffy about it and worried about a potential UCL injury, I would strongly suggest that you invest in this brace. If it had been available in my playing days, I don’t think I would have ever taken it off.
Bauerfeind is extremely capable at what it does. A German company, they are well known for their superior craftsmanship and quality.
The quality of this product is obviously tremendous. It doesn’t feel like a traditional thin “compression sleeve”, but is instead made up of a high quality, thicker compression material that is also breathable.
This also gives me a lot of confidence in the quality of the brace, which has been demonstrated time and time again as my uses of it have piled up and it still works just as well as it did when I first got it.
Speaking of comfort, I also have to make a note of the fact that I THOUGHT this elbow brace would have a significant “getting used to it” period where I dealt with uncomfortableness due to what it does in cushioning the elbow from movements it normally went through.
Knowing that its purpose is to keep your elbow from hyperextending, it stands to reason that it would be restrictive. However, this is NOT the case at all. It is actually so comfortable I wondered if it would even do anything. Thankfully, it does A LOT.
Drawbacks
For the drawbacks on the Bauerfeind sports elbow brace, they are few. An immediately noticeable one is the price tag. Because this is such an elite brace, it’ll easily set you back several hundred dollars. However, please take my word for it when I say I would buy this brace again if it was triple the price.
It really is that good. All of the heartache it will save you in dealing with elbow injuries should be enough to convince you of its value.
Another drawback is that it is slightly difficult to put on. It’s not like a traditional compression sleeve where you just slide it up, as like I said earlier, it’s a little higher tech than that. Instead, you slide your arm down in and then have to use the zipper on the side to enclose the top part of your arm.
I’m being serious when I say that it takes a bit of practice to get it on correctly and tightened to the level you need. However, after a few short uses I expect you’ll be a wizard at putting this elbow brace on and you won’t think twice about it.
Conclusion- A must have
Basically, I’m telling you that this brace will make your life a lot easier if you have ever had pain in your UCL or you’re worried you might. Sometimes, prevention is just as good as protection and I think that is a key takeaway from this product. If you play baseball, tennis, volleyball, or golf I think this product can really change the game for you and give a lot of peace of mind. Thank you for reading this Bauerfeind sports elbow brace review!
Until next time!
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