Research and News
Supported Researchers
Study Shows Resistance Exercises Using Thera-Band Elastic Tubing and Dumbbells Produce Similar Levels of Muscle Activation
Mar 5th
Akron, OHIO: High-intensity resistance training plays an essential role in the prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. Although resistance exercises with heavy weights yield high levels of muscle activation, the efficacy of more user-friendly forms of exercise needed to be examined.
“We were interested in a study that would confirm that elastic resistance is as effective as isotonic resistance without the hassle of dumbbells,” stated Phil Page PhD, PT, ATC, Director of Research and Education for Thera-Band Academy. “The convenience and accessibility of elastic bands and tubing can be very beneficial for patients continuing their exercises at home.”
Lars L. Andersen, PhD, and Mette K. Zebis, PhD, researchers with the National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark, completed a recent research study to investigate muscle activation and perceived loading during upper-extremity resistance exercises with dumbbells compared to elastic tubing.
The findings of this study were published online ahead of print on Feb. 4, 2010, by the American Physical Therapy Association at www.ptjournal.apta.org, the Web site of the Association’s journal, Physical Therapy (PTJ).
The article can be accessed at http://ptjournal.apta.org/future/90.4.dtl and will be published in print in the April 2010 issue.
The study involved 16 healthy female workers, aged 26–55 years, working More >
Thera-Band® exercise helps improve bone density and reduce falls in osteoporosis
Feb 24th
It’s been well-established that exercise has numerous health benefits, yet it is only relatively recently that exercise has been shown safe and effective at improving health and quality of life in older adults.
Recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American College of Sports Medicine include strengthening exercises for older adults at least twice a week. Strength training can improve muscular strength, power and endurance in older adults. In addition, strength training can increase bone mass or decrease bone mass loss which is particularly important in women with osteoporosis. Falls in osteoporotic women in particular often lead to fractures of the hip, back, and arm.
Researchers in Germany set out to determine if a well-rounded exercise program that included Thera-Band® resistance bands would be effective at increasing bone density, decreasing falls, and improving cardiovascular risk factors in older women. In the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 246 women over 65 years old were randomly assigned to either a high-intensity/low volume “well-rounded” exercise program, or a low-intensity “wellness” exercise control group. The 18 month exercise program included 2 group sessions per week and 2 home-based sessions per week.
The well-rounded exercise group protocol included cardiovascular warm-up exercises, upper body strengthening exercise using More >
Thera-Band® resistance or dumbbells? New research supports both in the clinic
Feb 7th
The debate of elastic resistance versus isotonic resistance
Elastic resistance is commonly used in rehabilitation exercises, and has been shown to increase strength and function in over 100 randomized controlled trials (www.thera-bandacademy.com). Even with this amount of clinical evidence, elastic resistance is sometimes criticized because of the difficulty in quantifying intensity. Despite the fact that force elongation charts are available to quantify elastic resistance intensity, it is sometimes difficult to use these clinically. Because of this limitation, few studies have compared elastic and isotonic resistance directly because of the intensity-dosing issue.
Quantifying EMG and RPE of elastic and isotonic resistance
Researchers in Denmark compared elastic and isotonic dumbbell resistances for muscle activation and perceived exertion levels. Healthy females performed 3 different exercises with standard dumbbells ranging from 2 to 7.5 kg, and Thera-Band elastic tubing (red, green, blue, black and silver). The researchers developed a chart comparing isotonic and Thera-Band elastic resistance stretched 125 to 150%.
Thera-Band® elastic color Isotonic Resistance Red 2 kg Green 3 kg Blue 4 kg Black 5 kg Silver 7.5 kgEach subject randomly performed 3 exercises with both types of resistance: standing lateral raise, shoulder external rotation at 0° of abduction, and seated wrist extension. The elastic tubing was stretched More >
Thera-Band® program helps improve lower extremity strength and biomechanics in female athletes
Feb 1st
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears occur in about one in every 3000 Americans; 80% of these injuries are non-contact, often requiring surgical reconstruction. Female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injury, likely due to biomechanical differences compared to males. Research has focused on exercise programs that help improve these biomechanics in order to prevent ACL injuries. Dr. Dan Herman MD, PhD received a research award from Thera-Band Academy to investigate the effects of a strengthening program on jump-landing biomechanics of female athletes at the University of North Carolina. The protocol utilized Thera-Band® elastic bands and exercise balls.
Initially, Dr. Herman published a study concluding that while the protocol was effective at improving strength, the biomechanics of the athletes remained unchanged. He concluded that strengthening alone was not sufficient, and set out to find what needed to be combined with the training program. His subsequent study combined the Thera-Band strengthening protocol with video-assisted feedback, and he compared the combined intervention to a group receiving feedback only. Dr. Herman and his colleagues found that the group receiving both feedback and strengthening improved their biomechanics more than the feedback-only group. The paper won the 2008 O’Donoghue award from the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, given to the best More >
Thera-Band exercises help cancer recovery
Jul 22nd
As cancer survival rates increase, older adults are living longer, but often at a lower functional level after cancer treatments. Researchers at Duke University combined home-based Thera-Band exercises for cancer survivors with dietary information in a 12-month program using telephone counseling and mailed print material. The randomized, controlled clinical trial included 641 survivors of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer between 65 and 91 years old. The results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), showed that cancer surviors participating in the exercise and diet program had less functional decline than the control group not receiving the program. The program participants also significantly improved in lower extremity function, physical activity level, dietary behavior, quality of life, and lost nearly twice as much weight as the control group. The “RENEW” (Reach out to Enhance Wellness) study was supported by Thera-Band Academy for several years.
