Research and News
Thera-Band Elastic Resistance
Can exercise improve scapular posture?
Dec 21st
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our email updates for new blog posts. Thanks for visiting!
Scapular position plays an important role in posture and movement, and is often thought to have a role in shoulder pain. A paper published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reviewed the literature on determining scapular position, strength and flexibility. Exercise studies on improving scapular position were reviewed as well. The author of the review reported on 3 prospective intervention studies, 2 of which incorporated elastic resistance training and shoulder stretches. While 2 of the studies found improvements in scapular position, all studies had validity and reliability limitations. Thera-Band resistance products may help improve scapular position, but likely should be coupled with pectoralis minor stretching. More research is needed to establish the effectiveness of exercise programs for scapular position.
REFERENCE: Hrysomallis C. Effectiveness of strengthening and stretching exercises for the postural correction of abducted scapulae: a review. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Feb;24(2):567-74.
Washington Redskins Cheerleaders benefit from Chiropractic and Thera-Band
Dec 20th
Dr. Jay Greenstein of Sport and Spine Rehab in Washington DC has been a member of the Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) for several years. He has participated both as a clinical researcher and as a lecturer for Thera-Band Academy. Dr. Greenstein is also the team chiropractor for the Washington Redskins cheerleaders. His most recent research was on Thera-Band exercise for hamstring pain in professional cheerleaders, which he presented at the TRAC 2010 meeting in Greece.
Dr. Greenstein was recently featured in a short video for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. It features Washington Redskin cheerleaders describing their experience with chiropractic. During the video, Dr. Greenstein demonstrates the Thera-Band exercise used in his research with the cheerleaders. Click here for more information on the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.
Developing Thera-Band exercise programs for overhead throwing athletes
Dec 17th
The overhead athlete’s shoulder must be strong, flexible, and enduring for optimal performance. Shoulder exercises for the throwing athlete must reflect the specific functional demands required both for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Head Athletic Trainer for the Boston Red Sox, Mike Reinold, DPT, ATC, CSCS, published a “current concepts” paper on preventive and rehabilitative exercises for overhead throwing athletes.
Dr. Reinold and his colleagues outlined 6 principles of injury prevention and treatment programs:
1. Maintain range of motion
2. Maintain strength of the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic musculature
3. Emphasize dynamic stabilization and neuromuscular control
4. Core and lower body training
5. Off-season preparation
6. In-season maintenance
In addition, the authors outlined a rehabilitation progression for shoulder conditions including impingement, instability, and rotator cuff tendonitis. They recommend the use of products such as elastic tubing, exercise balls, soft weights, and band loops throughout the program. By understanding the demands on the throwing shoulder, rehabilitation professionals can improve their clinical decision-making and progressive exercise prescription. For more information on the overhead throwing shoulder, I recommend Dr. Reinold’s book co-written with Kevin Wilk PT and James Andrews MD, The Athlete’s Shoulder. The Thera-Band family of resistance exercise products is an important part of any preventive or rehabilitative exercise program for overhead throwing athletes.
REFERENCE: More >
Regular exercise in assisted living maintains function and reduces falls
Dec 16th
As the aging population increases, many older adults are moving into assisted living facilities to maintain their independence. Exercise programs are now a standard offering at most assisted living facilities not only as a ‘benefit,’ but also to maintain functional independence and prevent falls. Programs such as the First Step to Active Health using Thera-Band resistance bands have been successfully used in many older adult exercise programs.
Physical therapy researchers at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut evaluated the impact of a wellness program on function and falls in older adults at an assisted living facility. The program included upper and lower body strength and flexibility activities using free weights and resistance bands. All residents completed a functional baseline screening including balance, strength and cognition. The baseline measurement was used to help direct the resident into a specific program such as a fall prevention class or aquatic exercise regimen. Their participation in these programs was tracked over 12 months, and 2 groups were identified: regular and non-regular participants. After 12 months, the regular exercise group improved or remained the same level of balance and endurance, while the non-regular exercisers declined. In addition, the non-regular exercise group had more falls than regular exercisers.
Thera-Band resistance bands More >
Thera-Band exercise protocol for chronic neck pain improves quality of life
Dec 15th
Dr. Jari Ylinen of Finland has published several studies using Thera-Band resistance bands for chronic neck pain, including articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Females with chronic neck pain have shown significant decreases in pain and significant increases in neck strength up to 2 years after his program. The exercises include dynamic-isometric cervical flexion, extension, and sidebending against black Thera-Band resistance bands. Patients also perform upper body dumbbell exercises. The program is initially performed for 12 days in a rehabilitation clinic, then at home for one year. Download the Thera-Band Chronic Neck Pain exercise protocol here.
In his most recent publication documenting the outcomes of his program, Dr. Ylinen and his colleagues investigated the effects of high-intensity Thera-Band resistance exercises on health-related quality of life in patients with chronic neck pain after one year of exercise. 180 female office workers with neck pain were randomly assigned to a strengthening exercise group, endurance training group, or control group. The strength training group performed the exercise described above, while the endurance group performed a 20-repetition head-lifting task and dumbbell exercises. Both groups also performed squats, back extension, sit-ups, and stretching.
After one year, both the Thera-Band exercise and endurance exercise groups significantly More >
