Research and News
Archive for October, 2011
Upcoming workshops in Asia
Oct 19th
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On November 5-6, Dr. Phil Page will be presenting a 2-day workshop, Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance: The Janda Approach in Seoul, South Korea at the Korea University College of Health Science. The workshop is hosted by Naum Care. Contact Yunhee Lee at lyh@naum.biz for more information. Attendees will learn how to assess muscule imbalance and use Thera-Band products such as elastic bands, stability trainers, and balance boards to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes.
Dr. Page will also be presenting a 1-day introductory workshop on the Janda Approach at the Beijing Sport University on November 10, and at the First National Physical Therapy Congress in Nanchang, China on November 13. Contact Carpenter Yu at bicomsales@163.com for more information. Dr. Page will be the keynote speaker at the Congress organized by The Physical Therapy Branch of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Top Blog Posts from 2011 3rd Quarter
Oct 17th
Here are the top blog posts for the 3rd quarter of 2011:
Can we use perceived exertion to dose elastic exercise intensity? A better way to prescribe shoulder rehab exercise intensity? Does Biofreeze affect blood flow after exercise? Thera-Band & Biofreeze TRAC Research Presentations.
Upcoming Presentations in Guatemala and Chile
Oct 14th
Dr. Phil Page will be presenting “Bands, Balls and Balance” at the Guatemalan Physiotherapy Congress on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City. For more information, contact Claudia Caceres of Innovaciones Medicas at ccrecari@gmail.com.
The following week, October 25-28, Dr. Page will be presenting various lectures in Santiago, Chile. Contact Viviana Müller of Soc. Alfredo Müller y Cía. Ltda. – Rehacare at ventas@rehacare.cl.
Exercises after Achilles tendon reconstruction: an EMG-based progression
Oct 13th
Post-operative rehabilitation depends on 3 people: the surgeon, the patient, and the therapist. Obviously, the surgeon must be technically proficient, the patient must be compliant, and the therapist must promote healing without damaging the surgical repair. Orthopedic surgeons often have therapists follow specific rehabilitation protocols, usually based on tissue-healing timeframes.
Tim Tyler PT ATC
Prescribing therapeutic exercise at the appropriate dosage is essential since some tissue stress is necessary to facilitate proper healing; however, too much stress can damage the repair. Little is known about the stresses to tissues during Achilles tendon exercises. Thera-Band® Academy Scientific Advisory Board member Tim Tyler, PT ATC presented EMG analysis data on common Achilles exercises at the 2011 TRAC Annual Meeting.
Ten healthy subjects performed several common exercises, including Thera-Band resisted plantar flexion. The EMG activation levels are reported as a percentage of a maximal contraction:
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Thera-Band Plantar Flexion
Seated toe raise : 11%
- Single-leg balance on Wobble Board : 25%
- Prone ankle pumps : 38%
- Plantar flexion with red Thera-Band exercise band : 45%
- Walking : 47%
- Lateral Step-up : 60%
- Single leg heel raise : 112%
- Single leg jump : 112%
While EMG levels are not a direct measure of tissue stress, they can help establish an appropriate progression of high to low intensity activities. For example, Thera-Band ankle More >
Cervicogenic Headache Treatment: What’s the Evidence?
Oct 11th
Janda's Upper Crossed Syndrome
How many of your patients with neck pain suffer from headaches as well, or vice-versa? Cervicogenic headaches are characterized by unilateral headache radiating from the posterior to anterior head, unilateral upper cervical pain and facet “locking,” which is often aggravated by sustained neck positions. Cervicogenic headaches are thought to result from a convergence of sensory input from the upper cervical spine into the trigeminal nucleus. Interestingly, these patients often exhibit Janda’s Upper Crossed Syndrome.
I recently published a review article on the assessment and management of cervicogenic headaches in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. The article describes the assessment of posture, range of motion, muscle length, muscle strength, joint mobility, breathing patterns, and trigger points. A special test, the Cervical Flexion-Rotation test, can help confirm the diagnosis with ~90% accuracy.
Based on my review of the literature, I recommend a multi-modal layered approach to cervicogenic headaches (or any chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome for that matter): modalities, manual therapy, and therapeutic exercise. For cervicogenic headache patients, modalities such as TENS, cryotherapy, or low-level laser therapy can be helpful. Spinal manipulative therapy has been shown effective for cervicogenic headache patients in several studies. Other manual therapies such as instrument-assisted soft More >
