Pro Football for 100, Alex.

[KNINE]

I have noticed a number of football players wearing a thin armband on their forearm, right at the elbow. It's probably an inch or less wide. What is it?

[ajflan]

Probably to try to stop sweat from dipping down from thier upper arm, so they can hold the ball better.

[02csnow]

It is a new trend. So they can look cool while playing.

[engineertwin2]

What is "a mechanism in place to readily allow for near instantaneous steroid injections for on-field play?"

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by 02csnow »It is a new trend. So they can look cool while playing.its the breathe rite strip of the new millenium

[joatmon]

the most plausible answer I could google was "AFAIK those narrow straps are to prevent tendinopathy. By taking some of the load off the muscles and tendons near their attachment points they reduce the likelihood of tearing, particularly of the triceps tendon when falling on the hands. Physical therapists give these to the players to prevent lateral and medial epicondylitis and outright rupture injury and keep them in the game with less pain. You can get them fitted for the patellar tendon also"or similarly"During stressful repetitive activities, the tendons of the elbow slowly and painfully begin to pull away from the bone of the elbow. This is where the pain in your elbow originates. With continued repetitive use of the elbow, the tendon-bone connection continues to weaken and the pain in your elbow steadily increases. By placing continual pressure on the tendons connecting the Flexor and the Extensor muscles to the Medial and Lateral Epicondyles, thus significantly reducing the tension at the point of connection to the bone. With the bands it reduces the daily exacerbation of the Tendinitis, therefore facilitating the healing process by reducing continual stress to football players elbows."

[ramenboy...]

so basically, its what we used to wear when we got tennis elbow...