Research and News
Stability Trainer
Active Aging Today Series: Thera-Band Exercises for Hip Osteoarthritis and Replacement
Dec 28th
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Exercises for Hip Osteoarthritis and Replacement by Dr. Phil Page
Hip osteoarthritis and replacement are often associated with residual weakness of the hip muscles. Thera-Band Resistance Bands and Stability Trainers are often used for hip osteoarthritis programs both before and after hip replacement. Download and read the article with exercises here.
REFERENCE: Page P. Exercises for people with hip osteoarthritis and hip replacement. Active Aging Today, 1(4), 2010. Available online here
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Hip Osteoarthritis Resource Center here
Active Aging Today Series: Thera-Band Exercises for Fall Prevention
Dec 27th
Human Kinetics Publishers has created an online community for active aging professionals. I provide a regular feature for their online journal, Active Aging Today, on special populations. Each article provides a review of the literature around a condition associated with older adults as well as a set of practical exercises using Thera-Band products. Each day this week, we’ll be featuring a different article from the previous year:
- Monday: Fall Prevention
- Tuesday: Hip Osteoarthritis and Replacement
- Wednesday: Muscle Imbalance Syndromes
- Thursday: Frozen Shoulder
- Friday: Plantar Fasciitis
Exercises for Fall Prevention by Dr. Phil Page
Falls are a major issue in today’s aging population. Exercise can help reduce the risk for falls by addressing impairments in physical function. Thera-Band Resistance Bands and Stability Trainers are often used as part of a well-rounded fall prevention exercise program. Download and read the article with exercises here.
REFERENCE: Page P. Exercises for fall prevention. Active Aging Today, 1(5), 2010. Available online here
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Fall Prevention Resource Center here
Knee osteoarthritis exercise with Stability Trainers reduces pain and increases strength and function
Nov 11th
Knee pain is common in older adults and usually results from osteoarthritis. Researchers at Nagoya City University in Japan investigated the effects of combined resistance and balance exercises in older adults with knee pain. 28 men and women (average 77 years old) were randomly assigned to either a control or exercise group. The exercise group participated in a 12-week program, while the control group was instructed to maintain their normal physical activity levels. Both groups were tested for muscle strength and functional fitness before and after the program. Their results were published in Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics.
The exercise program was performed once per week as a group, with at 10-minute warm-up, 20 minute resistance training, 40 minutes of balance training, and 10 minutes of cool-down. The exercise group performed the program 2 additional days per week at home. The resistance exercises consisted of 5 body-weight resistance exercises (hip flexion, hip extension, squat, heel rise, toe rise). The balance exercises were progressive challenges to the visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and muscular systems using Thera-Band Stability Trainers. The green (firm) and blue (soft) stability trainers were used to progress the levels of instability. The exercise group had an 88% adherence rate, More >
Proprioceptive training reduces injury rates and recovery time in female soccer players
Oct 28th
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 balance training, the lower the rate of injuries.
This study suggests that implementing soccer-specific proprioceptive training can reduce non-contact and More >
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 >
