Research and News
Posts tagged elastic resistance
Thera-Band Exercises for Tennis Players to Prevent Injuries
Sep 13th
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.
New FlexBar Exercise: “Tyler Twist” effective for Tennis Elbow
Aug 12th
Tim Tyler PT, ATC from Pro Sports PT in Scarsdale New York, investigated a novel exercise using the Thera-Band® FlexBar for tennis elbow. “We know that eccentric exercise is very effective at treating tendinopathies such as tennis elbow,” said Tyler. His exercise, the “Tyler Twist” involves eccentric wrist extension, and was easily performed at home for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Compared to patients receiving standard treatment, those performing the FlexBar exercise along with standard treatment had significantly greater improvements in strength and pain. “We had to stop the study early because we didn’t feel it was ethical that people weren’t getting better on the standard treatment protocol alone, so we gave everyone the FlexBar exercise,” said Tyler. His findings were presented in July at the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and received attention from the international press. “Using the FlexBar for tennis elbow is not only clinically effective, it’s cost-effective as well,” added Tyler. He presented his findings at the TRAC 2009 meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Read the research abstract here.
EMG supports “Wall Walk” exercise with Thera-Band® Resistance
Aug 12th
Sue Falsone PT, ATC from Athletes Performance in Phoenix Arizona, quantified the EMG activity of the rotator cuff and scapular muscles during a new shoulder exercise using Thera-Band® resistance. She found that that “Wall Walk” and “Wall Slide” exercises had higher activation of the infraspinatus muscle of the rotator cuff with the Thera-Band resistance than without. In addition, the lower trapezius muscle was activated significantly more, while the upper trapezius was activated less with the resistance, compared to without resistance. “These findings show that adding Thera-Band resistance to the Wall-Walk exercise may help restore scapular muscle balance, which is typically our goal in shoulder rehabilitation,” said Falsone, who also works with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s important to know exactly what muscles are being activated during these exercises so we can make better clinical decisions,” added Falsone. She presented her findings at the TRAC 2009 meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Read the research abstract here.
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Shoulder Rehab Center Here.
Both Thera-Band Elastic and Aquatic Exercise Improve Blood Pressure and Lipid Levels
Aug 11th
Juan Carlos Colado, PhD of the University of Valencia in Spain, compared the effects of strength training with Thera-Band resistance with aquatic resistance. He used the OMNI scale to quantify the intensity levels of both exercise groups. “We found the OMNI scale can be used successfully in strength training programs that don’t provide directly measurable resistance levels such as elastic and aquatic exercise,” said Colado. After 24 weeks, there was no significant difference between the training groups: both groups significantly increased their fat free mass, decreased their fat mass, increased their HDL levels and decreased their diastolic blood pressure. In addition, both groups significantly improved their physical performance after training. “Thera-Band and aquatic resistance are equally effective, but Thera-Band exercise is obviously more accessible and cost effective,” added Colado. Dr. Colado presented his findings at the TRAC 2009 meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Read the research abstract here.
Guidelines for treating neck pain with Thera-Band Tubing
Jul 22nd
An interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians reviewed 11 systematic research reviews to develop a ‘toolkit’ for clinicians to apply the best evidence for treating neck pain. The “Cervical Overview Group” created a clinical practice guideline that includes a therapeutic home exercise program for neck pain. The full article was published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy in May, 2009. The 3-phase “Evidence-based Home Neck Care Program” includes the use of elastic tubing as an integral part of the home program.
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Neck/Cervical Spine resource center to find more articles and exercises for neck pain.
