Customer Reviews

PAIR of Thermoskin Carpal Tunnel Braces with Dorsal Stay, Black , Left & Right Medium

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a computer programmer. I have been coding 8-26 hours a day (yes) since 1989.

Within the past year, I would get home and my hands would be KILLING me. Tight, sore, felt like arthritis burn in my joints. Achy and stressed. My forearms felt tight, tired, and painful. I did not have the night-wakeups with the dead hands that is typical of CTS, however I was getting scared nonetheless. I make my money on my hands, and let it go as long as I could, but just reached a point where I had to do something.

I'm not sure if it's CTS, Repetitive Stress Injury, or what is going on. I am skeptical of the medical industry generally speaking, and from much research on the topic, many people feel that CTS is merely the symptom. There's a source causing it, and while you can relieve the symptom, it's better to cure what's causing it. Approaching my condition with that mentality, I wanted to try some therapy before going the medical route.

I bought these and slapped em on for about two weeks. About a week in, I was noticing a SIGNIFICANT difference in my pain. I wore these day and night. Weeks 3 and 4 I only wore them occasionally. And after the first month, my hands weren't back to new, but if the pain I had was 100% prior, I'd say my aches and pains are now about a 5%. I don't wear them much anymore. If I have a particularly stressful and long week at the computer, I will use them when the pain gets bad, and they do bring relief.

For me, this product was exactly what I needed. Everyone who is reading this is in a different spot, but for me and whatever my condition is, these have allowed me to get back to crankin' out code and not having to go home and do nothing with my hands because they hurt too much. I'm even back to playing drums on rock band, which is pretty big.

PROS
* Excellent fit. I am 5'10" skinny male with thin to average hands, and got the mediums. I measured according to the sizing sheet, and the fit was great, so use the sizing guide
* The skin that they are in is outstanding in the winter. I'm freezing at work pretty much all of the time, and these definitely warmed up my hands a bit.
* I guess above all, they helped relieve the pain, tremendously.

CONS
* The inner stitching in the nook of my thumb and forefinger was abrasive. The first few days it was definitely an irritant, but not enough to stop using them. Next version of these, the stitching should be of a softer material
* In the summer, they do get warm. And sweaty, and they will definitely retain an odor. Washing them is no biggie, you remove the metal (no effort required, the gloves have openings where each metal piece slides out), toss them in the wash, and it's all good.

This is my first and only pair of braces, I have nothing to compare them to. I started with this nice, more expensive pair because I didn't want to get some cheap crap, wear it for a month and find out they didn't help.

I would not hesitate to give these a try if your story is similar to mine. Best of luck to everyone who is fighting this.

I picked these up because I was feeling numbness in my thumb and went to the doctor; he said it was Carpal Tunnel. He gave me a medical brace to wear while I slept. As it turns out, the brace was helping out so much that I started wearing it all of the time. I used it while sleeping, at work, etc. All of a sudden, everybody I talked to was an expert on Carpal Tunnel. I was wishing people would mind their own business. I quickly noted that the brace provided by the doctor didn't "breathe" properly, and I had to wash it every few days because it began to smell. These braces aren't like that one -- they provide great support, and I haven't noticed any issue with odor. I'm certain I would have, as I'm one of those people who makes a mental note when somebody who's wearing a leather watch strap might not be aware of the smell if they don't give it time off, and I'll make an attempt to stay away from that situation because it makes me sick to my stomach. Anyway, if you think you have a need for good braces and don't want to deal with washing them all of the time, these are the best I've found.

Being a designer and a bookkeeper, I use the computer A LOT. I started to notice carpal tunnel symptoms in my hands and wrists last year and looked for products to help me prevent and start healing. I purchased these and they're wonderful - I've used them while on the computer, while reading a book in bed (where a lot of my pain hits me), and while sleeping. I highly recommend them, they're well worth the money.

I am pleased with these braces. I ordered them as soon as I discovered early symptoms of tendonitis. I work in healthcare, and, because the braces are thin, I am able to wear exam gloves over the top of them. The supports keep my wrists straight and the curve on the palm side allows my hand to rest/hover at the appropriate level when using a mouse. I like the overall design mainly because I can still use my fingers and thumbs for most tasks with little interference. These braces serve their purpose well. After some consistent use, they become more cozy, less stiff, but still maintain good wrist support. I sweat a little on the inside, but there is no unpleasant odor whatsoever and the breathability is satisfying. On a side note, they make me feel like a ninja, which is the most important reason to buy them of course!

I like these arm braces, but one thing you should know before ordering---you cannot return them once you open the package. I wasn't sure I had ordered the correct size and it wasn't until after I opened the package that I saw the notice that if the package was opened it could not be returned. Luckily I had the correct size. (Thinking about it...I like knowing that no one else has tried on my braces, I just wanted to make others aware that you cannot return them if they have been opened.

The only thing I don't like is the smell of the material.

I bought these to use at night while sleeping, because I was bending my wrists and aggravating my CT. They are VERY comfortable, with the exception of the fabric between the thumb and forefinger, which is poorly designed and always causes a bit of agitation. Yes, these gloves will make your hands sweat, and no, the gloves do not get smelly (at least not from nighttime only use). To find the correct size, cut a piece of string and wrap it around your wrist at the hand. Measure on a ruler, and that's the size you need. I measured my wrist at 8 1/2", and I ordered the large size, since it said up to 8 3/4". They fit absolutely perfectly. Having the metal bar on the bottom and top of the hand is great, because I tend to flex my wrist both ways while sleeping. Get the correct size of these, and you won't be disappointed!

Here's the sizing chart, also available as a (hard to read) photo:

XS 4.50 - 5.25"
S 5.50 - 6.25"
M 6.50 - 7.50"
L 7.75 - 8.75"
XL 9.00 - 10.00"
XXL 10.25 - 11.25"

I got the comfort that I expected for paying $50 for the ct braces, but am not happy with the quality of the workmanship. I didn't find any factory sealed packaging here as some previous reviews suggested, my braces came together in a zip lock bag (bulk packaging). The braces fit well, size based on measurement is accurate, and are supportive and comfortable. However, the edges of the braces are cheaply stitched and the velcro straps aren't much better. The straps are already starting to shred strands and I'm not convinced that they will be very durable. Side by side, one of the braces is slightly irregular and has more material covering my thumb on the top of my right hand. I guess I just expected them to be of a higher quality than the $12 ct braces that you can buy at Walmart.

These braces are well made and do the job of restricting my wrists and preventing carpal tunnel "dead arm" while I sleep. But these particular braces are designed to increase heat in the wrist area which I guess is meant to help heal, but I don't think the heat is going to "heal" my carpel tunnel and I find that for sleeping I get uncomforatably hot in them. They don't breathe at all and when I wake up my wrists are sweaty. In the summer, wearing these braces all night is out of the question. I can deal with them in the winter and I like how tightly they wrap around my wrist and I feel they restrict my movement better than some other braces I've tried. They have the metal splint on both sides of your wrist, whereas a lot of other braces have it on just one side. But the heat thing is a problem for me. I know that's how they were designed, but I guess they weren't meant for overnight use.

I just received my Thermoskin Carpal Tunnel Braces with Dorsal Stay. The delivery was very fast and the product was better than I expected. The dorsal stay makes all the difference in the world over other carpal tunnel braces. I have had several in the past that were pretty good but each had their own shortcoming. These are perfect for me. They are very comfortable and having the dorsal stay restrict the upward flexing of my wrist not only reminds me not to stretch my wrist that way, but it also prevents the bottom stay from digging into the inside of my arm hurting the very tendons that are supposed to be protected. Great product! Thanks a lot!

Service was great, I initially ordered a size Medium, but they were too big and sent it back for a small. Service was speedy and great! Would do business with them again!