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Best Wishes this Holiday Season
Dec 22nd
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The Page children pose in front of a bonfire
I wanted to wish everyone a very happy holiday in your part of the world. This is a time for all of us to give thanks and spend time with family and friends. I’ve been blessed to be able to teach around the world this year in central and south America, Europe, and Asia, and meet lots of new friends and colleagues. I hope the information we provide through the Academy helps patients get better faster and helps everyone lead a healthy lifestyle towards overall wellness around the world.
There is no way I could ever do all this without the best support of my wife and children. I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from my home in south Louisiana with our holiday tradition: burning large bonfires on the Mississippi River levee to light the way for Santa (Papa Noel).
I hope you get to enjoy the holidays and the traditions in your part of the world with family and friends. Thanks to everyone for your support of the Academy, and see you in 2012!
Phil
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Washington Redskins feature cheerleader exercise program with Thera-Band
May 16th
Recently, the Academy Blog told you about research on cheerleaders with hamstring pain using Thera-Band. Now the official website of the Washington Redskins has featured the research and exercise program. Be sure and check the video at the bottom of the page that features Dr. Jay Greenstein leading the exericses with the team!
Top Academy Blog Posts for First Quarter 2011
Apr 6th
- Long term benefits from Thera-Band exercises for shoulder pain
- Two exercises you need in every program…
- Neck pain in office workers relieved with 2 minutes of Thera-Band exercise!
- Intensive two-week exercise program benefits stroke survivors
- Prehabilitation exercise for total knee replacement helps patients with severe end-stage arthritis
- Clinical management of “frozen shoulder” features Thera-Band products
Physical Therapist-led Home Exercise Programs with Thera-Band® Bands Benefits Stroke Survivors
Mar 17th
A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the brain is deprived of blood flow from a brain blood vessel blockage or rupture. With the increased awareness of strokes and advances in treatment, the number of stroke survivors is expected to continue to increase.
Stroke survivors are often left with residual disability, usually in walking and locomotion. As part of a collaborative “LEAPS” project between rehabilitation researchers at Duke University and the University of Southern California, 5 community-based rehabilitation hospitals in Florida and California participated in a large NIH-funded stroke survivor study. According to the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, this was the largest stroke rehabilitation study ever conducted in the United States.
Researchers wanted to investigate the effectiveness of high-tech robot-assisted treadmill training compared to home-based physical therapy exercises or “usual care” on the ability to walk independently. More than 400 patients were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: locomotor treadmill walking, home exercise program led by a physical therapist including Thera-Band® resistance band exercises, or a “usual control” group. The patients all had severe or moderate gait impairments. The protocol for the study was published in BMC Neurology in 2007, and specifically included a Thera-Band color-based progression. The More >
Prehabilitation exercise for total knee replacement helps patients with severe end-stage arthritis
Feb 22nd
“Prehabilitation” refers to exercise performed before surgery that helps reduce functional decline after surgery. The theory is that a higher level of function pre-operatively will provide a higher level of function post-operatively, thus shortening the rehabilitation process. Prehabilitation exercise has been shown effective at preventing functional decline in frail elderly individuals (Gill et al. 2002).
For the past 4 years , Dr. Robert Topp and his colleagues at the University of Louisville have been researching the effects of a “prehab” program for patients scheduled for total knee replacement surgery. Their exercise program features progressive Thera-Band resistance exercises performed over a period of 4 to 8 weeks before surgery. Last year, I featured Dr. Topp’s prehabilitation program in the Academy Blog after his publication in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Most recently, Dr. Topp’s colleague, Dr. Ann Swank was the lead author on a paper in the February 2011 issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The article described the pre-operative outcomes of 71 patients with severe knee arthritis who had pain that didn’t respond to medication. The patients were randomly assigned to either a control group or a 4 to 8 week prehab exercise group prior to total knee replacement surgery.
Patients were tested More >
