Research and News
Posts tagged patellofemoral
Thera-Band exercise program helps reduce knee pain
Jul 3rd
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Patellofemoral pain syndrome results in chronic anterior knee pain, and is often associated with delayed and reduced activation of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) muscle. Therapeutic exercise is often prescribed to help improve the strength and onset timing of the VMO. Patellar taping is also used in managing anterior knee pain, and is often worn by the patient throughout the day.
Researchers in Turkey wanted to see if an exercise program for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome could be effective with shorter tape application times (tape worn only during exercise sessions versus worn all day long). First, they compared the VMO muscle activation of 12 men with patellofemoral pain syndrome to 16 healthy controls. The patient group had significantly slower activation of the VMO compared to the control group, as well as significantly reduced strength and activation levels of the affected side compared to the unaffected side.
The 3 month home exercise program for patellofemoral pain syndrome used patellar taping only while exercises were performed, 3 times per day for 30 minutes per session. The progressive exercise program used Thera-Band® Exercise Bands and Stability Trainers. After the More >
Mike Reinold on Thera-Band Loops for Knee Rehabilitation
Jul 5th
Mike Reinold, PT ATC, Rehabilitation Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Boston Red Sox has a great blog on rehabilitation and conditioning at www.mikereinold.com. He’s just finishing a 7-part series on his blog on patellofemoral rehabilitation for anterior knee pain. His most recent and last post discusses using Thera-Band resistance while performing leg press or squats:
“…do you still want to squeeze that ball between your knees and emphasize hip adduction and internal rotation? I would actually recommend just the opposite. I frequently use a piece of Thera-Band (or even those new [loops] that Thera-Band just started making) around the patient’s knees during exercise. This will require the patient to isometrically control the hip from adducting and internally rotating while performing mini-squats, wall squats, leg press, and other sagittal plane exercises.”
Read Mike’s article about “The Influence of the Hip and Foot on Patellofemoral Pain.” To learn more about the new Thera-Band Loops, visit the Thera-Band Academy website and check out professional instruction videos by Todd Ellenbecker, Sue Falsone, and Barton Bishop.
