Academy Blog » exercise tubing

Thera-Band Exercises for Tennis Players to Prevent Injuries

Dr. Phil Page — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:29:02 +0000

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.

Visit the Thera-Band Academy Tennis resource center here

Both Thera-Band Elastic and Aquatic Exercise Improve Blood Pressure and Lipid Levels

Dr. Phil Page — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:18:21 +0000

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.

Best Shoulder Exercises

Dr. Phil Page — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:55:57 +0000

A recent article by Mike Reinold PT, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Boston Red Sox, reviewed the best exercises that activate the shoulder muscles. The article, published in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy provided a list of the recommended resistive exercises as well as the scientific rationale for each. Recommended for overhead athletes and those undergoing shoulder rehabilitation, the exercises can easily be performed with Thera-Band Tubing with Handles and the new Thera-Band Ankle and Wrist Weights.

New Thera-Band Ankle and Wrist Weights

Reinold MM, Escamilla RF, Wilk KE. Current concepts in the scientific and clinical rationale behind exercises for glenohumeral and scapulothoracic musculature. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Feb;39(2):105-17.