Research and News
Posts tagged rehabilitation
Thera-Band exercises effective for acute ankle sprains
Apr 20th
Ankle sprains are the most common injury in sports. Rehabilitation exercise after ankle sprains include active and resisted exercises, often performed with a Thera-Band® elastic band. Reduced ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) is considered to be a sign of significant injury and can affect gait and function.
Researchers at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota recruited patients with acute (within 4 days) Grade I or II ankle sprains. They were prescribed a 4 to 6 week home exercise program that included cold and compression, along with progressive resisted exercises using an elastic band. Patients performed resisted dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, inversion, and eversion with a yellow Thera-Band resistance band, completing 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions, one to two times per day. The patients progressed through the remainder of the Thera-Band color-coded progression (red, green, blue, black, and silver) as they improved in strength. Once the patients could perform 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions of resisted plantar flexion, they began calf raises. They also performed single-leg balance exercises including standing on foam pads. In addition to the Thera-Band and balance programs that the patients received, participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups of stretching the Achilles tendon on increase dorsiflexion. Each group performed 3 More >
Exercises with elastic resistance more effective than passive shockwave treatment
Mar 24th
Shoulder impingement is a common cause of shoulder pain that responds well to active, therapeutic exercise. A more passive “shockwave treatment” has recently been used to treat impingement. This passive modality was compared with an active exercise treatment in shoulder impingement patients in Norway. The study published in the British Medical Journal compared 12 weeks of physiotherapy and home exercise using elastic tubing with 4 to 6 treatments of Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Treatment (REST).
64% of the exercise patients and only 36% of the shockwave treatment patients had significant improvement in pain and disability, and more patients in the exercise group returned to work. Interestingly however, there were no significant differences between groups in function or range of motion.
This study is consistent with the findings of other studies that show elastic resistance exercises are effective as part of an active care approach to shoulder impingement that includes both clinic- and home-based exercises. Thera-Band® elastic resistance and patient kits are ideal to facilitate both clinical and home exercise programs.
Engebretsen K, et al. Radial extracorporeal shockwave treatment compared with supervised exercises in patients with subacromial pain syndrome: single blind randomised study. BMJ. 2009;339:b3360.
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Neuromuscular exercise program effective for ACL Rehabilitation
Mar 16th
Rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction usually involves 6 months of physical therapy, including strength and balance exercises. Traditional ACL rehab has focused on increasing strength of knee and lower extremity muscles. More recently, “neuromuscular” exercise programs that de-emphasize strength training have been used successfully in Europe.
Physical therapy researchers in Norway compared 2 types of ACL rehabilitation in 74 post operative patients. In the study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, patients were randomly assigned to a traditional exercise program or a neuromuscular exercise program. The neuromuscular program (described in a separate study) included balance exercises on foam pads, wobble boards, and mini-trampolines. Download their rehabilitation protocol here. Plyometric and agility exercises were also included. Each group was tested for their strength, pain, function, and quality of life.
At a 2-year follow-up, the neuromuscular exercise group significantly increased in function and pain compared to the strengthening group, while the strengthening group only improved in hamstring strength. The authors suggested that both balance and strength exercises be included in ACL rehabilitation program. Thera-Band® Stability Trainers and balance boards are ideal for use in a neuromuscular rehabilitation program.
Reference: Risberg MA, Holm I. The long-term effect of 2 postoperative rehabilitation programs after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a randomized controlled clinical trial More >
Systematic review supports use of elastic resistance exercise for shoulder impingement
Mar 9th
Shoulder impingement is a common cause of chronic shoulder pain that can be treated with exercise. Impingement can be caused by a structural narrowing of the space between the humeral bone and acromion of the scapula, or by a muscle imbalance of the rotator cuff and/or scapular stabilizer muscles. These types of impingement are referred to as structural and functional, respectively.
Thera-Band® resistance band exercises are commonly used in rehabilitation of shoulder impingement. In fact, nearly 75% (9 out of 13) of the studies in a systematic review of physiotherapy exercises for impingement included elastic resistance exercise for the rotator cuff and scapula. In their review, Kromer and colleagues found that passive treatments (such as modalities only) are not effective and cannot be justified when treating shoulder impingement.
The authors found that physiotherapist-led exercises were as effective as surgery for shoulder impingement. In addition, home-based exercises were as effective as physiotherapy interventions, although manual therapy in the clinic may provide additional short-term relief. Based on these conclusions, Thera-Band resistance band exercises in the clinic or home can be an effective and safer alternative to surgery.
Kromer TO, et al. Effects of physiotherapy in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: a systematic review of the literature. J Rehabil Med. 2009;41(11):870-80.
Elastic bands effective at treating neck pain and whiplash
Mar 8th
“Whiplash” injuries are defined as sudden acceleration-deceleration of the head resulting in damage to the cervical spine. While most common in motor vehicle accidents (MVA), whiplash can occur as a result of other high-speed activities such as sports. Usually characterized by long-standing chronic neck pain and disability, studies have shown that patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) have specific patterns of muscle weakness and tightness. Exercise for whiplash and neck pain have been shown effective. Previous research by Dr. Jari Ylinen in Finland has shown that Thera-Band® resistance band exercises are effective at reducing chronic neck pain for up to 2 years. Click here to view Dr. Ylinen’s Thera-Band resistance band exercise protocol here.
Researchers in Norway wanted to compare 2 types of exercise programs on patients with whiplash. 25 patients were randomly assigned to a strength and endurance group or a “motor control” exercise group during 6 weeks of physical therapy. The motor control group performed 10 repetitions of deep neck flexor activation against an inflatable blood pressure cuff. The strengthening group used elastic bands to strengthen their neck muscles and dumbbells to strengthen the upper body. Each exercise was performed for 1 set of 15 to 20 repetitions; each session included a 5 minute More >
