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Proprioceptive training reduces injury rates and recovery time in female soccer players
Oct 28th
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Proprioceptive exercise training has been shown in several studies to reduce soccer injury rates. Unstable surfaces such as Thera-Band® Stability Trainers, Stability Discs, and balance boards can be part of an effective proprioceptive training program. Several studies have shown reductions in ACL tears and ankle sprains which are considered “non-contact” injuries. German researchers hypothesized that the same preventive effects of proprioceptive training may apply to other lower extremity injuries, namely hamstring, patellar tendon, and Achilles tendon injuries. They implemented a multi-station soccer-specific exercise program involving jumps and balance training on a wobble board with the Premier League female soccer team, Bayern Muenchen. Their results were published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
At the end of the 3 year intervention, non-contact hamstring injury rates were significantly reduced 64%, from 22.4 to 8.2. Patella tendon injuries were reduced by 67% (3 vs. 1) and achilles injuries reduced by 100% (1.5 to 0). The mean time lost to injury for the players also significantly decreased from 14.4 days to 1.5 days. In addition, the researchers identified a dose-effect of the training: the more time spent More >
More evidence that “prehab” works for total knee replacements
Oct 13th
Total knee replacement is becoming more common for treating advanced knee osteoarthritis. Dr. Robert Topp and his colleagues at the University of Louisville continue to research the effects of “prehabilitation” by providing exercises before total knee replacement surgery. He presented his current results at the 2010 Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) meeting. “Pre-operative exercises for total knee replacement help speed post-operative recovery by increasing initial levels of strength and function,” Dr. Topp stated. The randomized controlled study examined 18 patients who were assigned either to a control group or a “prehab” group that performed Thera-Band strength and balance exercises, stepping exercises, and flexibility training. The prehab group performed significantly better than the control group on functional tests both before and after surgery. These findings suggest that exercises before total knee replacement surgery may help speed recovery, reduce recovery time, and reduce healthcare costs; their ongoing prehab study hopes to validate some of these answers.
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Total Knee Replacement Resource Center Here
Therapeutic Exercise Program for Hip Osteoarthritis: A Case Report
Sep 6th
Arthritis of the hip is associated with pain both at rest and during weight-bearing. Current recommendations for managing hip osteoarthritis include therapeutic exercises as a first choice of treatment. Hip pain is one of the most common limiting factors when performing hip osteoarthritis exercises. These exercise programs are often provided individually by physical therapists, as there are few if any therapeutic exercise protocols for hip osteoarthritis patients in the literature. While strengthening exercises remain the most common type of exercise prescription for hip osteoarthritis patients, balance exercises are also important because of deficits in proprioception and postural stability in these patients. Thera-Band® Stability Trainers have been successfully used in hip patient exercise programs (Boeers et al. 2010).
Norwegian physical therapists published a case report on a 58 year old woman with hip osteoarthritis. They included strength, flexibility, and balance exercises using foam balance pads. The patient received 19 sessions of physical therapy over 12 weeks and improved in pain, strength and function at a 6 month follow-up. Download the therapeutic exercise program for hip arthritis here. While the hip osteoarthritis physical therapy protocol was successful in this patient, a randomized controlled trial is needed to determine the true effectiveness of the program in other patients. Thera-Band Stability trainers provide progressive More >
Evidence-based Recommendations for Core Training with Unstable Surfaces
Sep 2nd
Core training has maintained its popularity in fitness and rehabilitation despite controversies over optimal training methods for “core stability.” Training with unstable surfaces such as Thera-Band® exercise balls, stability trainers, and balance boards have been recommended for core training, suggesting that such surfaces promote activation of core muscles. The “core” can be defined as the axial skeletal and its muscular and fascial attachments, including the pelvic and shoulder girdle.
Recently, resistance training while balancing on unstable surfaces such as exercise balls has become popular. Canadian researchers David Behm PhD and colleagues published a comprehensive review and position stand on the use of instability to train the core. Research has shown that exercises performed on unstable surfaces produce higher levels of muscle activation in both the core and extremity muscles compared to stable surfaces. However, force and power outputs are decreased while exercising on unstable surfaces, sometimes up to 70%. Interestingly, increasing levels of core muscle activation can also be achieved with free weight exercises such as squats and Olympic lifts without added instability.
In their article, the authors made several recommendations for both athletes and non-athletic conditioning based on their review of the literature. Dr. Behm et al. noted that athletes should emphasize “higher-intensity ground-based lifts” (such More >
Balance exercises for chronic ankle sprains effective
Aug 31st
Chronic ankle sprains have been attributed to poor sensorimotor control, resulting in “functional ankle instability.” First described in the 1960’s by Freeman and Wyke, functional ankle instability has been postulated to result from a lack of proprioceptive information from the ankle due to “deafferentation.” Functional ankle instability is associated with chronic ankle sprains; patients with functional ankle instability may have normal strength and ligament structure, yet continue to suffer ankles sprains. Progressive balance exercise programs have been shown effective at reducing functional instability and recurring ankle sprains. Sensorimotor training programs for ankle instability often include balance exercises that use foam pads such as Thera-Band® Stability Trainers.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky developed a progressive balance training program for patients with chronic ankle instability. The program lasted 4 weeks and focused on dynamic balance stabilization in single-leg stance. Exercises included progressions in hops and single-leg balance using foam pads and 6-pound medicine balls. The results of their first study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise in 2008, found that their program significantly improved function and postural control in chronic ankle sprain patients. In their more recent study, 29 subjects with chronic ankle instability were randomly assigned to either an exercise group or More >
