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Research Updates
Home exercise benefits knee osteoarthritis patients
May 26th
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Patients with knee osteoarthritis often have weakness of their hip abductor muscles. Knee osteoarthritis patients have also been shown to have altered biomechancis at the hip, leading to abnormal loading on the medial side of their knee joint. This increase in loading is thought to result in an increased knee adductor moment during gait because of weak hip abductors. Several studies have shown that Thera-Band elastic resistance exercise can decrease pain and increase function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Researchers in Canada wanted to see if an 8-week home strengthening program could improve joint loading, strength, pain and function in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis. 40 patients, along with 40 age-matched control subjects without arthritis were included in the study. The patients with knee osteoarthritis had 25% weaker hip abductor strength and significantly greater hip adductor moments compared to the control group.
The home exercise program included sidelying and standing hip abduction strengthening, progressing to elastic bands. The group with knee arthritis performed exercises 3 to 4 times a week with one set to fatigue on both legs. When they could complete 20 repetitions without More >
Does elastic resistance enhance traditional cable column exercises?
May 24th
Recently, strength and conditioning professionals have been adding elastic resistance to traditional isotonic resistance exercises such as the bench press and squat in an effort to improve strength outcomes. In theory, so-called “variable” resistance (in the form of elastic bands or weighted chains) provides increasing resistance toward the end of the range of motion and helps facilitate power development. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research featured in the Academy Blog found that adding elastic bands and chains to traditional free-weight barbell exercises may increase maximal strength levels and increase power input.
Adding elastic bands to the ends of barbells produces resistance in ‘parallel’ to the direction of gravity. Researchers in Spain wanted to see if they could produce similar results by adding elastic resistance in ‘series’ with the direction of exercise using a cable column exercise machine. They noted that the combination of elastic resistance with the constant load of the pulley cable should decrease the need for deceleration at the end of the movement, thus enhancing muscle tension throughout the range of motion.
The researchers began by connecting an elastic resistance device in-series with the pulley cable and handle. The resistance of the band was equivalent to the load More >
A successful treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis
May 19th
Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition caused by an inflammation of the plantar fascia, affecting nearly 2 million in the US annually (Martin et al. 2001). While most cases of plantar fasciitis are resolved with conservative treatment within a year, severe cases usually result in a surgical intervention.
A recent case report in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy describes a successful intervention in a 61 year old patient with a 10-year history of chronic plantar fasciitis who used night splints. Plantar fasciitis can increase the risk of falls in older adults, although the condition is not as prevalent as in younger adults.
In the case report, physical therapists Stephanie Peplinski and Kent Irwin described their 4-week intervention. The patient received 8 sessions of individualized physical therapy, twice a week for 4 weeks. She received soft tissue mobilization and iontophoresis with dexamethasone, and performed 4-direction ankle Thera-Band resistance band exercises for 10 repetitions in the clinic and at home. She also used a balance board and foam pad for balance training in the clinic.
At discharge, she reported decreased pain and improved activities of daily living (ADL). This case report demonstrated that an individualized physical therapy program with targeted interventions can improve the symptoms in chronic More >
Thera-Band exercise reduces falls and improves quality of life in women with osteoporosis
May 11th
Persons with osteoporosis are at higher risk of fracture after a fall. It’s well-known that exercise is an important aspect of managing osteoporosis, yet there are few studies evaluating the effects of balance exercises on actually preventing falls in women with osteoporosis. The Academy Blog recently featured a study showing that elastic resistance training can reduce the risk factors associated with falls, but did not examine actual fall rates.
Researchers in Brazil investigated the effects of a year-long balance training program on quality of life, balance, and falls in older women with osteoporosis. The women were randomly assigned to an exercise group or control group. Those in the exercise group performed a balance training program 1 hour per week, supplemented with home exercises for 12 months. The program consisted of 15 minutes of warm-up and stretching exercises, 15 minutes of walking, and 30 minutes of dynamic and static balance training exercises. The same exercises were repeated at home 3 times a week for 30 minutes. The researchers used a previously published exercise protocol that showed a significant decrease in falls in Japanese older adults. The exercises in the group and at home included moderate resistance training with dumbbells and Thera-Band exercise bands.
After 12 More >
Elastic resistance hip strengthening exercise program improves low back pain
May 5th
Low back pain has been said to occur in 80% of the population at one time or another. Recently, hip abductor weakness has been implicated as a factor in chronic low back pain. Gluteus medius weakness is thought to result from poor lateral hip stabilization during single-leg stance, leading to abnormal loading of the lumbar spine.
As part of a larger study on hip abductor weakness in patients with non-specific low back pain, Canadian researchers had 10 patients with low back pain perform a 3-week home-based hip abductor strengthening program with an elastic band. The patients used a resistance level of 10-15RM (the maximum resistance that allows only 10 to 15 repetitions). The patients performed hip abduction in the frontal plane and hip abduction with the leg in 45 degrees of extension. They did not increase their resistance levels over the 3 weeks. They were tested for isometric hip abductor strength prior to the study and compared to 10 control subjects without low back pain. Isometric hip strength was normalized to body weight.
The researchers found that patients with low back pain were significantly weaker (31%) than those without low back pain before the study. After the 3-week exercise intervention, the subjects with More >
