about 1 year ago - No comments
As women age, the transition to menopause often results in an increase in body fat and a reduction in muscle mass. This change in body composition is also associated with a decline in function and an increase in physical disability. German researchers evaluated the effectiveness of an exercise program for community-dwelling older females they developed…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Survivors of cerebrovascular accidents (also known as ‘strokes’) are often left with residual weakness and disability. Exercise training after stroke is gaining acceptance as a standard of care as more research supports its safety and efficacy. This pattern resembles what we observed after cardiac rehabilitation became popular following heart attacks: exercise is an essential part…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Several months ago, I wrote an entry about a study on the Thera-Band® Exercise Station by Dr. Juan Colado from University of Valencia in Spain, titled, Young women can gain as much strength using the Thera-Band® Exercise Station as training with free weights. At the time, the article was only published on-line; it’s now available…
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
Patients undergoing total hip replacement often have weak hip abductor muscles before and after surgery. One of the most common hip exercises is sidelying hip abduction using an ankle weight. While this may be an effective exercise to activate the gluteus medius muscle, open-chain, non-weight bearing hip abduction is not specific to the function of…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Dr. Juan Carlos Colado of the University of Valencia in Spain has published several excellent research papers on the effectiveness of Thera-Band® elastic resistance for fitness. In particular, he and his colleagues have shown that elastic resistance is as effective as isotonic machines for increasing strength in middle-aged women (Colado & Triplett 2008). In addition,…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Thera-Band® Academy has been supporting clinical research projects around the world for over a decade. The research helps validate the use of Thera-Band products and provides clinicians with evidence to support practice. Several years ago, the First Step to Active Health® program was developed in response to a “call to action” by the National Blueprint…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Bleeding disorders such as hemophilia may cause bleeding in the joints, known as ‘hemarthrosis.’ This may lead to arthritis and subsequent joint replacement surgery. Exercise is an important component in managing hemarthrosis; however, many patients are hesitant to exercise for fear of injury and resulting bleeding. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of exercise in…
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
When exercise balls became popular in the United States in the 1980s, it was thought that their instability promoted higher activation of the back and abdominal muscles for core stabilization. Several studies have shown that the exercise ball does increase muscle activation of the abdominal muscles compared to a stable surface. As the exercise ball…
about 1 year ago - No comments
Elastic tubing has been proven as effective as free weights again; this time, in teenagers. Several studies have shown that Thera-Band® elastic resistance has similar effects on muscle activation and strength as isotonic resistance (Andersen et al. 2010; Colado & Triplett 2008). Current physical activity guidelines recommend resistance training to improve muscular fitness in youths.…
about 1 year ago - 1 comment
In an Academy blog post in February, Thera-Band® resistance or dumbbells? New research supports both in the clinic, we reviewed a new research article published online in the Physical Therapy journal. The article is now available in print at the journal’s website. The landmark study showed that Thera-Band elastic resistance was as effective as dummbells at…