Research and News
Archive for June, 2011
USA Today features Thera-Band Neck and Shoulder Pain Exercise Research Study
Jun 30th
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The USA Today featured a story on research from Dr. Lars Andersen in Denmark using Thera-Band® tubing to reduce neck and shoulder pain in office workers. For more information the study including links to download, visit the Academy’s webpage on Neck Pain Exercise here. You can also view the video of the exercise below:
Rotator cuff patients benefit from Thera-Band exercises
Jun 29th
Rotator cuff disease is the most common cause of shoulder pain in primary care (Ostor et al. 2005) and includes diagnoses such as bursitis, impingement, and rotator cuff tendinosis. Several studies featured in the Academy Blog have described how effective Thera-Band® exercises are in treating shoulder conditions, particularly when combined with manual therapy.
Researchers in Australia completed an extensive study on patients with rotator cuff disease over 3 ½ years and published their findings in the British Medical Journal. 120 patients in Melbourne meeting eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to either a home exercise and manual therapy or a placebo-controlled group receiving only sham ultrasound. 14 experienced physiotherapists at 12 centers were trained to provide both interventions.
The intervention program was published in a separate paper in 2007. Download their protocol here. The exercise and manual therapy group received 10 sessions of individualized standard treatment over 10 weeks including a twice-daily home exercise program with Thera-Band exercise bands. At the end of the first 10 weeks, there was no significant difference in pain or function between the experimental and control groups; they both significantly improved.
They continued the home exercise each day for 12 weeks after the initial 10 visits. After 22 weeks, the exercise More >
New Thera-Band Innovations Web Site – Resource for Product Ideas
Jun 28th
(Akron, Ohio.) Performance Health, maker of market-leading Thera-Band and Biofreeze® products, has launched the Thera-Band Innovation website. This unique site enables healthcare professionals to propose new product ideas that could innovate their industry and reward them financially.
“Our success as a company is based on the success of the rehab professionals we serve. They have always been a source of great ideas to improve outcomes. The original idea behind the Thera-Band resistance band was actually brought to us by two physical therapists back in 1975. They were using our bulk dental dam product to enhance the effectiveness of their patients’ rehabilitation programs and wanted us to develop additional resistance levels,” stated Ethan Pochman, Director of Clinical Marketing. “We hope this new user-friendly site uncovers some great new products for both the rehab profession and the general consumer.”
The submission process is three simple steps. 1. Read and accept the terms of the Submission Agreement 2. Complete the submission form 3. Upload supporting files if applicable
Performance Health will evaluate all submissions. If interested in the idea, the Company will contact the submitting individual for further discussion.
Exercises help reduce back pain after prolonged standing
Jun 27th
Prolonged standing often leads to low back pain, which can lead to occupational disability. Persons with low back pain after prolonged standing often have abnormal EMG activity of the gluteus medius and trunk flexor and extensor muscles. Researchers were interested to see if persons with low back pain after prolonged standing could reduce this pain after a progressive stabilization exercise program.
20 subjects with low back pain after prolonged standing were randomly assigned to an experimental or control exercise program. The 4-week home exercise program included 18 stabilization exercises targeting the abdominal, lower back, and gluteal muscles; one of the exercises was a standing row exercise with elastic resistance. Ten subjects performed exercises 4 times per week and attended one session per week supervised by a physical therapist. The other 10 control subjects did not exercise.
Subjects completing the home exercise program had significantly less low back pain during prolonged standing compared to the non-exercising control group. An exercise program of core stabilization exercises utilizing Thera-Band® elastic resistance may benefit patients with low back pain during prolonged standing, but more research is needed.
REFERENCE Nelson-Wong E, Callaghan JP. Changes in muscle activation patterns and subjective low back pain ratings during prolonged standing in response More >
Thera-Band and Biofreeze for Sports Specific Rehabilitation
Jun 24th
Dr. Barton Bishop, a member of the Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) published a feature article in PT Products magazine. He described how various products including Thera-Band® and Biofreeze® products can be used by clinicians for sport-specific rehabilitation. Read the story here.
Here are some excerpts from his article:
“It is obvious to most of us that pain is inhibitory—when we hurt, we don’t want to move. But pain also creates neurologic inhibition; pain will actually shut down the muscle and not allow it to work either properly, or at all. This is where topical treatments such as Biofreeze® can come into play. Research by Topp1 has shown that Biofreeze can reduce blood flow immediately after application, thus decreasing pain-causing inflammation. This is a great way to help an athlete play with less pain. Because it is extremely portable, fast-acting, and doesn’t stiffen an area like ice does, Biofreeze can be applied immediately before or during a practice or game.”
“This same idea of activating muscles based on their function and not their action should be repeated everywhere else in the body. The rotator cuff musculature serves a much greater purpose in sports than external rotation, internal rotation, and scaption. In an overhead More >
