http://www.woollyhatshop.com/Power-Balance-Bands/Power-balance-wristband-black-/-white-large/prod_2809.html

Notice any benefits? I’ve a 50% ligament tear in my right wrist so willing to try anything that might help (yes am seeing physio too)

Snake oil, placebo effect. Next question?

total con/****

According to the wealth of medical knowledge over on mumsnet they are not worth it. Generally the consensus was that men buy crap. Other than that I ain’t got a clue but be honest, you just like the shiny hologram don’t you? 🙂

I’ve got a hologram on my debit card, but still get this acute stabbing pain in the wallet whenever I go out shopping with my girlfriend.

According to the wealth of medical knowledge over on mumsnet

With respect, that’s already affording this con trick too much credit. You don’t need medical knowledge, you just need a modicum of common sense. See also, homeopathy. Where these parasitic f’kers win is, people want to believe.

Have you thought of using Ergon grips?

Yes theres definitely a difference.
I was completely cynical until i tried one.
My balance is better, core strength is better, recovery is definitely improved. I have done “blind tests” which involved using a genuine one, fake one from ebay and a lance armstrong band and every time the genuine one was used there was an improvement.
I also suspect those posting above haven’t actually tried one.
There’s a 30 day money back guarantee on them too – try one and see. Check out all the You Tube footage too.

how can it be a ‘blind test’ if you test yourself and see which band you put on? 😯

lol as I suspected 🙂 no glowing testimonies then !

Seems a bit like wearing a copper band on your wrist for artritas?

CG – yep I have ergons on my commuter, they do help but I found them akward offroad, I’ve got one of the smaller ones too.

EDIT – just seen mudpups response – forgive me, sometimes I can’t tell if people are taking the mick on here or not – have you genuinely felt an improvement?

Power Balance® is a performance technology that uses holograms embedded with frequencies that react positively with your body’s natural energy field.

WTF? What the hell’s that supposed to mean?

iDave – the blind test was carried out by someone standing behind me and popping each item in my pocket whilst i carried out the tests. No improvement with the Lance band, no improvement with the fake, big difference with the authentic one on the balance test and core strength test.

DT78 – yes, absolutely.
Try one – they have a money back guarantee – nothing to lose apart from a bit of postage maybe.

thirty freakin quid. Obviously it’s bunkum but congratulations to whoever came up with that idea, you’d have to be some kind of genius to market 30p Christmas cracker tat as a fitness aid and charge £30 for it.

I bet people had this conversation when acupuncture got popular!
Yeah,Yeah,Yeah – you stick a needle in your foot and it cures hayfever. Thats gotta be bollox mate.

Have you tried these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ergon-gp1-handlebar-grips/

I find I have less of a death grip but takes a few attempts to get the positioning right. Broke my wrist a few years ago and has been pretty weak since.

On the website it says..

Easily demonstrated with 3 simple tests

But it doesn’t say what those 3 tests are…

CG – I’m using GX1’s which have a bit more of an angular profile. I’ll give those a try to.

Think I might take a punt and give the powerband a go and return if need be, CRC are selling them – reviews are 50/50
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Reviews.aspx?ModelID=57036

Those tests might be these –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMDE2FIK2X4&feature=fvst

So, is there any proof wearing copper bands helps arthritas? My grandfather swears by it, seems a similar thing?

molgrips, you drive a flippin prius, you can’t comment on anyone believing ridiculous “powered by cosmic rays for enhanced performance” jargon 😉

You do sometimes find Ergons in the Classifieds, some folk just don’t get on with them.

if there is a noticeable/measurable increase via a placebo effect, yet still a positive effect for the wearer what’s the issue? their balance etc.. is still improved, just not from any magic in the band.

I suppose it’s the same as people draw extra strength through belief in a god, a superduper sport nutrition bar or mega compression wedgie tights etc… as long as it does no harm and the user likes it or believes there is a benefit how does effect you lot of miserable blighters 😆

No need to buy Powerbalance Bands. I’ve developed a new way to transmit the energy forces generated by the bands over the internet- it works by creating an unnoticable flicker on your monitor at a frequency that’s synchronised with your brain waves and muscle twitches. Just send me your credit card details.

I also suspect those posting above haven’t actually tried one.

… because we’re not stupid.

Google “placebo effect” and “double-blind testing” before you start citing anecdotal evidence as fact.

Think I might take a punt and give the powerband a go and return if need be

… which is how these charlatans make money. When you get it you’ll convince yourself that it works, partly out of placebo and partly because you’ll feel a bit of a pillock if it doesn’t, and before you know it you’ll be extolling its virtues on an Internet mountain biking forum.

I just hang crystals on my handlebars and from my beard, it aligns me with the earth force and makes me pedal harder

or try the Gareth Bale approach

http://www.kinesiotaping.co.uk/

You know, I do wonder sometimes.

“Is there any truth in this?”

“No”

“That’s what I thought. I think I’ll buy one just in case.”

I’m sorry you’ve damaged your wrist and I hope if gets better soon, but I’m somewhat surprised that it seems to be constricting the blood flow to your brain.

Even, and this is a leap, even if the band does what it claims, how is it going to help your torn ligament? You might as well buy some new socks. In fact, the cushioning there might help reduce shock to your wrist, so you’d probably be better off.

surely a highly skilled troll by mudpup
Molgrips owns a Prius may I be, possibly the first, to say respect
Uter pish of the highest order bought by the gullible

You guys crack me up!

Sadly my wrist can’t get better (without surgery) so its a matter of trying to make the best of it. Been like this for 18 months since I broke my wrist, recent physio has helped and improved movement.

But I’m always interested in trying out new things. Bit of googling seems to say there isn’t anything scientific about copper/arthritis either and I’ve seen alot of eldery people with those.

I’ll have a scout in fitness first to see if anyone is wearing one next time I’m there and ask them.

What about those copper bracelets? For rheumatism I believe.

Duct tape?

I think it’s universally accepted by STW.

DT78, have you tried special pysiotherapy to improve you wrist flexion through the use of one handed internet surfing? It’s a good excuse if the better half ever catches you and you wouldn’t have to delete you internet history 😀

you might have to go to the opticians on a more regular basis though

Stewart Richmond, who led the study at York University, said: “It appears that any perceived benefit obtained from wearing a magnetic or copper bracelet can be attributed to psychological placebo effects. People tend to buy them when they are in a lot of pain, then when the pain eases off over time they attribute this to the device.

“However, our findings suggest such devices have no real advantage over placebo wrist straps that are not magnetic and do not contain copper.”

While the bracelets in themselves are harmless, Mr Richmond added, people with osteoarthritis should be “cautious” about spending large sums of money on something that won’t help them. Magnets from disused speakers would be cheaper, he added, but equally pointless

Suppose you could substitute ‘copper’ for ‘funky holographic’

Duct tape – now why didn’t I think of that!

= and no it doesn’t work for verucas – I’ve tried.

if folks can use self hypnosis to not feel pain for dental procedures and the like, then the brain can surely block/reduce pain because you wearing a copper/magic bracelet. It’s a bit like dumbo’s feather.

Power Balance® is a performance technology that uses holograms embedded with frequencies that react positively with your body’s natural energy field.

How the **** can a hologram, which is a two-dimentional image that allows the appearance of a three-dimentional object, have ‘frequencies’ embedded in it? Other than the obvious visible light spectrum. Utter bollox. Unless it’s radiating microwave radiation, in which case I wouldn’t want it anywhere within fifty feet of my wrist.

shhhhhh, every time you question the awesome power of the band, God kills a kitten 😯