Research and News
Posts tagged elastic bands
Thera-Band Exercises for Tennis Players to Prevent Injuries
Sep 13th
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As with all sports, tennis injuries are all too common. The repetitive nature of tennis predispose players to many injuries as a result of muscle imbalance. Believe it or not, tennis players suffer from lower extremity injuries more than shoulder injuries. Todd Ellenbecker DPT, MS, CSCS, Director of the Physiotherapy Associates Scottsdale Sports Clinic, recently published an article in Strength & Conditioning Journal on exercises to reduce injury risk in tennis players. In the August 2009 issue, Ellenbecker and his co-authors provided a list of exercises to help reduce injury risk for the shoulder, elbow, hip, and core in tennis players. The exercises dont require expensive machines or equipment; instead, portable and inexpensive Thera-Band® products are suggested including Thera-Band bands, tubing and loops, Thera-Band Soft Weights and Exercise Balls, and cuff weights. As Director of Sports Medicine for the ATP Tour, Ellenbecker and the international team of physiotherapists regularly use Thera-Band products for testing and training professional tennis players.
Top 10 Myths of Elastic Resistance
May 7th
by Phil Page, PT, ATC
1. There is very little scientific evidence on elastic resistance. FALSE! There are over 100 published randomized, clinical trials (the highest level of evidence) that have used elastic resistance. In addition, there are over 60 basic and applied studies that have been published to describe the scientific foundation for elastic resistance, including electromyographic (EMG) evidence and biomechanical analysis. The most comprehensive and updated list of these references is available at www.Thera-BandAcademy.com.
2. Isotonic or machine-based resistance is more safe & effective than elastic resistance. FALSE! The injuries and rates reported with using elastic resistance in the literature are as small if not smaller than using isotonic resistance. Scientific evidence proves that the resistance provided by elastics is very similar to isotonic resistance in physiologic response, strength outcomes, and patterns of muscle activation.
Thera-Band Torque, compared to isotonic weights
3. In contrast to isotonic resistance, the strength curve (torque at the joint) of elastic resistance is linear & ascending. FALSE! Many people confuse FORCE (resistance) with TORQUE (force x distance). This has led to the misperception that isotonic resistance is more “functional” to the strength capacity of muscles than elastic resistance. The FORCE produced by elastic resistance is linear and ascending, meaning that resistance increases proportional More >
New article reviews different forms of variable resistance testing
Apr 6th
A new article in the Strength and Conditioning Journal reviews the latest biomechanical research on 3 types of variable resistance training: cams and levers, chains, and rubber-based resistance.
McMaster et al. 2009. J Strength Cond Res. 31(1):50-64.
