Research and News
Exercises
Exercise with FlexBar may help treat tennis elbow
Jul 14th
KEYSTONE, CO – People with pain in the elbow or forearm from playing sports or just from common everyday activities, might be able to use a Thera-Band FlexBar and strengthening exercise to alleviate pain, say researchers who are presenting their study results at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, July 9th-12th.
Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a common condition effecting nearly three percent of the general population, not just those who play tennis. “Our study illustrated that a novel exercise, using an inexpensive rubber bar, may provide a practical and effective means of adding isolated wrist strengthening exercises to a treatment plan,” said lead author Timothy F. Tyler, PT, ATC, Clinical Research Associate, of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in New York City.
The study randomized 21 patients with tennis elbow into two groups. Both received the wrist extensor stretching, ultrasound, cross-friction massage, heat and ice for treatment. The eccentric training group performed isolated eccentric wrist extensor strengthening using the rubber FlexBar (Thera-Band, Akron OH) while the standard treatment group performed isotonic wrist strengthening exercises. Three sets of 15 repetitions were performed daily as part of a home program with intensity increased More >
Mike Reinold on Thera-Band Loops for Knee Rehabilitation
Jul 5th
Mike Reinold, PT ATC, Rehabilitation Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Boston Red Sox has a great blog on rehabilitation and conditioning at www.mikereinold.com. He’s just finishing a 7-part series on his blog on patellofemoral rehabilitation for anterior knee pain. His most recent and last post discusses using Thera-Band resistance while performing leg press or squats:
“…do you still want to squeeze that ball between your knees and emphasize hip adduction and internal rotation? I would actually recommend just the opposite. I frequently use a piece of Thera-Band (or even those new [loops] that Thera-Band just started making) around the patient’s knees during exercise. This will require the patient to isometrically control the hip from adducting and internally rotating while performing mini-squats, wall squats, leg press, and other sagittal plane exercises.”
Read Mike’s article about “The Influence of the Hip and Foot on Patellofemoral Pain.” To learn more about the new Thera-Band Loops, visit the Thera-Band Academy website and check out professional instruction videos by Todd Ellenbecker, Sue Falsone, and Barton Bishop.
Thera-Band Program Teaches Exercises for Pregnancy in India
Jun 11th
Finding safe exercises during pregnancy for both mom and baby is quite challenging. In India, physiotherapist Shabnam Agarwal is leading both pre- and post-natal exercise classes at the Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata. They use Thera-Band resistance bands both in weekly classes, and at home. “It helps them carry and lift the baby, and eventually be able to do it better with less physical strain,” said Agarwal. The Thera-Band resistance exercises strengthen the chest, arms, and help with abdominal strength as well. Participants then progress to a Thera-Band exercise ball. She added, “It’s fun to see the mothers gaining more confidence with their exercises and feeling that they have more fit bodies.” Learn more about the Thera-Band program from a participant’s point of view.
Related Link: WebMD offers more information on safe exercise and pregancy.
Upper Extremity Plyometrics for Tennis Players
Apr 16th
Application of Upper Extremity Plyometrics for Rehabilitation and Performance Enhancement in Elite Tennis Players
by Todd Ellenbecker, DPT, MS, CSCS, OCS, CSCS
Thera-Band Soft Weight 90-90 Plyometrics
High level tennis play requires repetitive activation of the rotator cuff and scapular musculature to stabilize, accelerate, and decelerate the glenohumeral joint to prevent injury and allow for optimal performance. The modern game of tennis is highly dominated by serves and forehands. Some estimates report that 75% of all shots by elite level players are forehands and serves. Serves and forehands are characterized by powerful concentric internal rotation of the shoulder. Research performed on elite level tennis players with isokinetic testing has shown muscular imbalances due to selective development of the internal rotator muscles without concomitant development of the external rotators on the dominant “tennis playing” extremity. Additionally, research has not shown increases in posterior rotator cuff or scapular muscle strength following tennis play alone in elite players indicating the need for supplemental strengthening of the posterior rotator cuff and scapular musculature to improve muscle balance in the dominant shoulder of the elite tennis player. Exercises to improve muscle balance and local muscular endurance have been advocated to both prevent injury and enhance performance in tennis players.
New Lower Body Stretches for Tennis Players
Apr 16th
Application of Controlled Movement and Proprioceptive Challenge to Lower Body Stretching for Elite Tennis Players
By Michal Novotny PT and Todd Ellenbecker DPT, MS, SCS, OCS, CSCS
Injuries to the lower extremities in elite tennis players are prevalent due to the multidirectional movements inherent in tennis play coupled with the repetitive loading and often extreme ranges of motion incurred in some tennis strokes. Tennis is unique in that it is played on many surfaces with very different coefficient of friction and traction demanding different responses at the court/shoe interface affecting traction, lower body loading, and ultimately functional performance. An increase awareness of hip injuries in including hip impingement and labral tears has necessitated clinical strategies aimed at reducing intra-articular hip injury. Descriptive study of hip internal and external rotation range of motion have shown bilateral symmetry in elite level tennis players. Additionally, tennis players and other multidirectional sport athletes have long been plagued with muscular injury in the form of strains particularly of the two joint musculotendinous structures of the hip and groin. Finally, recent emphasis has been places on dynamic stretching and warm-up prior to athletic performance due to the finding of short term decreases in acute high intensity muscular power and explosiveness following traditionally More >
