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Evidence to support Thera-Band for shoulder impingement grows
Jun 13th
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Subacromial shoulder impingement often responds well to therapeutic exercise, particularly when coupled with manual therapy (Bang 2000). Injections and surgery are sometimes as good but are associated with higher risks. British researchers were interested in the added benefit of an injection with individualized physiotherapy exercises and manual therapy. 232 patients with subacromial impingement syndrome were randomly assigned to an exercise group or exercise combined with injection. All subjects received individualized exercise interventions as the physiotherapist chose from 6 mobilization techniques and 23 exercises including Thera-Band exercise bands. The exercise combined with injection group received a corticosteroid injection and avoided resistive exercises for the first 2 weeks of therapy. Download the physiotherapy protocol here.
The group receiving exercise with an injection significantly improved in their pain and disability in the short term (first 6 weeks); however, there were no significant differences between groups at 3 and 6 month follow-ups. The authors concluded that a corticosteroid injection is beneficial only if rapid pain relief is a priority, and up to 1/3 of patients will not respond to 12 weeks of exercise and manual therapy, possibly More >
Researchers in Spain investigate Thera-Band training programs
Jun 10th
Part 3 of “Thera-Band Academy well-represented at ACSM annual meeting”
Researchers in Spain have shown that Thera-Band® elastic resistance is as effective as weight machines in improving strength in middle-aged women. They wanted to compare the effectiveness of elastic resistance training to weight machines and aquatic resistance exercises. 72 postmenopausal women were assigned to one of those 3 groups or a control group for 10 weeks, twice a week. They were tested for upper body, lower body and abdominal strength before and after the program. All 3 training groups significantly improved in their strength, supporting the use of different devices for short-term strength gains in postmenopausal women.
- Garcia-Masso et al. 2011. Use of different resistance training devices and its effects in the fitness of postmenopausal women. (Abstract). Med Sci Sports Exerc. 43(5):S579.
The Spanish researchers noted that one of the difficulties in using elastic resistance in training studies is the ability to quantify intensity of training, which also leads to difficulties in quantifying intensity of progression. Researchers have shown that using perceived exertion ratings such as the Borg RPE or OMNI-RES Scales can be effective at providing and progressing an appropriate training intensity; however, the validity of using the OMNI scale has not been More >
Danish researchers feature Thera-Band tubing at ACSM
Jun 8th
Part 2 of “Thera-Band Academy well-represented at ACSM annual meeting”
Dr. Lars Andersen presents his poster at ACSM 2011
Researchers in Denmark led by Dr. Lars Andersen have shown that Thera-Band® elastic tubing exercises can significantly reduce shoulder-neck pain. 198 individuals with shoulder-neck pain were randomly assigned to a 2-minute or 12-minute per-day exercise group with Thera-Band exercise tubing with handles. They performed the exercises during their working hours, 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Both groups significantly improved their pain, tenderness and strength. The authors concluded that as little as 2 minute sessions of progressive resistance training per day with Thera-Band tubing results in clinically-relevant reductions in shoulder-neck pain and tenderness. The ACSM issued a press release about this study when it was presented at the meeting. Visit the Neck Pain Exercise page at Thera-BandAcademy.com that describes their study.
Dr. Andersen’s colleagues wanted to determine the physiological effects of different types of elastic resistance training by comparing a high intensity (3RM) exercise with a set of repetitions to failure using a lower resistance level. 15 healthy females performed a lateral raise with Thera-Band Tubing while the EMG level of their neck and shoulder muscles were measured. They found that high levels of muscle activation More >
Thera-Band Academy well-represented at ACSM annual meeting
Jun 6th
I attended the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Denver last week. As always, there were lots of excellent scientific presentations, including several by Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) members from around the world. TRAC members presenting their research had their abstracts published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise supplemental issue. The topics included older adult exercise programs including the Thera-Band Exercise Station, validating exercise intensity of Thera-Band elastic resistance, and its use in patients with neck-shoulder pain. I’ve summarized their research abstracts for the blog and will be posting them over this week. Today: Japanese-American Studies; Wednesday: Danish Studies; Friday: Spanish Studies
Researchers wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Thera-Band® Exercise Station as part of an aerobic and resistance exercise circuit training program in Japanese older adults. They first determined that the program provided an adequate stimulus for aerobic training as participants exercised at 60% of their heart rate; they also achieved low to moderate intensity resistance training based on RPE levels (Imai et al. 2011). The researchers then randomly assigned 39 older adults to either a Thera-Band Exercise Station circuit or a non-exercising control group. They exercised for 12 weeks, 3 times per week More >
Thera-Band® FlexBar® Awarded APTA Endorsement
Jun 3rd
Akron, OH (PRWEB) June 01, 2011. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has endorsed the Thera-Band® FlexBar®, a lightweight, easy to grip, portable resistance exerciser for rehabilitating and strengthening hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders and elbows. APTA’s endorsement is a designation that indicates to both physical therapy professionals and the world at large that the FlexBar qualities make the product a valuable tool for practitioners.
“The FlexBar is an amazing tool for the practitioner’s exercise toolbox. In addition to strengthening the hand and forearm, it’s used for oscillation exercises and soft tissue mobilization,” stated Phil Page, PT, PhD, ATC, FACSM, CSCS, Director of Clinical Education and Research for Performance Health.
“A study published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery using the FlexBar showed an 81% improvement in elbow pain and a 72% improvement in strength for tennis elbow patients,” continued Page. “This study has been seen world-wide and has helped countless people suffering from chronic tennis elbow.”
