Research and News
Exercise Balls
Rehabilitation for Shoulder Instability Update
Dec 2nd
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Shoulder instability is a common cause of shoulder pain. Shoulder instability patients have been traditionally diagnosed from 2 groups: from traumatic, unilateral instability, resulting in surgery (TUBS), or atraumatic, bilateral multi-directional instability best managed with rehabilitation (AMBR). However, a new classification scheme suggests there are 3 groups of shoulder instability patients: 1. Traumatic structural; 2. Atraumatic structural; 3. Muscle patterning / non-structural. Traumatic shoulder dislocation (Group 1) is best managed through surgery. Atraumatic structural instability (Group 2), while best managed through rehabilitation, may improve with surgery after failed rehab. However, surgical intervention in Group 3 patients with non-structural instability often results in failure.
Jaggi and Lambert provide an excellent review of the examination and management of all 3 groups of instability. In their article, the authors describe physical therapy management of Type 2 and 3 shoulder instability, including biofeedback, postural taping, and rotator cuff strengthening with elastic bands and dumbbells. In addition, exercise balls and wobble boards serve as unstable surfaces to “enhance neuromuscular control at a reflex level. They emphasize that core stability is a vital component to rehabilitation of Type 3 (“muscle patterning”) shoulder instability. According More >
Muscle activation levels for advanced exercises using the Exercise Ball
Dec 1st
Several EMG studies have been performed in the past decade to quantify and validate claims of “core stability” exercises. Despite few controlled, clinical outcome studies on using an exercise ball, its use in clinics and gyms remains steady. Because the Thera-Band® exercise ball can be used for both rehabilitation and fitness, different exercises and levels of muscle activation may be best for specific patients and clients. It’s important to know that an exercise provides enough EMG activation for strength training (greater than 60% maximal contraction), or if it’s more endurance-based (less than 25%).
In an article published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers were interested in determining the EMG levels of ‘advanced’ exercises using an exercise ball. The authors noted that most exercise ball EMG studies have evaluated basic exercises, finding few exercises with a ball that activate core muscles more than traditional resistance exercises at training effect levels.
In the study, 14 healthy subjects performed 6 advanced exercises in random order. The exercises involved were more “whole-body” movements compared to traditional stabilization exercises focusing on the core. Surface EMG data was collected from the upper body (deltoid, pectoralis major, triceps), core (lumbar extensors, rectus abdominus, external oblique), and lower More >
Exercise program effective for Japanese very elderly
Nov 18th
Exercise is an effective intervention to reduce the decline in functional ability in older adults. Thera-Band elastic resistance bands have been used in several exercise studies focused on reducing disability in older adults. Japanese researchers developed a 12-month multi-component exercise program including both home-based and group-based exercise sessions. 31 older adults with low levels of disability participated in an exercise group, while 34 subjects were recruited to serve as a control group. All subjects were between 74 and 96 years old.
The 90-minute exercise sessions performed by the exercise group included flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance activities. Exercises incorporated use of elastic resistance bands and exercise balls. The exercise group performed 10 minutes of stretching and strengthening at home every day that they were not in the weekly group sessions. Download the exercise protocol here.
After the year-long program, the individuals in the exercise group increased in lower body strength and flexibility significantly more than the control group. They also maintained grip strength, gait, and mobility compared to the control group, who declined significantly in these areas. Balance did not change significantly in either group. Interestingly, however, health-related quality of life did not improve. One important finding the authors reported was that the More >
Exercise on unstable surfaces increases trunk muscle activation
Nov 4th
Unstable surfaces have become more popular for balance and stabilization training. Thera-Band® Exercise Balls and Stability Discs offer multiple options for unstable surface training. These unstable surfaces are thought to increase muscle activation and co-contraction, particularly for core stabilization training. Japanese researchers investigated the effect of unstable surface training on trunk muscle activity during common lumbar stabilization exercises in 19 healthy subjects. Their findings were published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
The researchers used surface electromyography (EMG) to assess the “global” muscles: rectus abdominus, erector spinae, and external obliques, and fine-wire EMG for the deeper “local” muscles: transverse abdominus and multifidus. The subjects performed 5 lumbar stabilization exercises for 3-second holds, both on stable and unstable surfaces. The exercises were: prone plank on elbows, supine bridge, quadruped arm-and-leg, side bridge, and curl-up. EMG levels were normalized to maximal contraction.
The prone plank exercise on unstable surfaces (including an exercise ball and stability disk) produced significantly more muscle activity of all core muscles. High levels of oblique and rectus muscles were noted in both conditions for the prone plank exercise. The supine bridge exercise performed on an unstable surface did not significantly increase the activation of any muscle; the levels remained More >
How to Fix a Bad Tennis Shoulder
Sep 13th
Thera-Band® Academy research advisory committee (TRAC) member, Todd Ellenbecker DPT was recently featured in an article in the New York Times entitled, How to Fix a Bad Tennis Shoulder. In the article, he provides specific exercises using Thera-Band resistance. Todd serves as Director of Sports Medicine for the ATP tour, and is a clinical director and National research director for Physiotherapy Associates in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more exercises using elastic resistance from Todd, check out the book, Strength Band Training.
