Research and News
Posts tagged sensorimotor training
Balance exercises for chronic ankle sprains effective
Aug 31st
Chronic ankle sprains have been attributed to poor sensorimotor control, resulting in “functional ankle instability.” First described in the 1960’s by Freeman and Wyke, functional ankle instability has been postulated to result from a lack of proprioceptive information from the ankle due to “deafferentation.” Functional ankle instability is associated with chronic ankle sprains; patients with functional ankle instability may have normal strength and ligament structure, yet continue to suffer ankles sprains. Progressive balance exercise programs have been shown effective at reducing functional instability and recurring ankle sprains. Sensorimotor training programs for ankle instability often include balance exercises that use foam pads such as Thera-Band® Stability Trainers.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky developed a progressive balance training program for patients with chronic ankle instability. The program lasted 4 weeks and focused on dynamic balance stabilization in single-leg stance. Exercises included progressions in hops and single-leg balance using foam pads and 6-pound medicine balls. The results of their first study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise in 2008, found that their program significantly improved function and postural control in chronic ankle sprain patients. In their more recent study, 29 subjects with chronic ankle instability were randomly assigned to either an exercise group or More >
Functional rehabilitation of chronic ankle instability effective
Jul 12th
It’s been reported that athletes suffering an ankle sprains re-injure their ankle 70% to 80% of the time. This leads to chronic ankle instability or ‘functional ankle instability’. Rehabilitation for chronic ankle sprains often includes functional exercises including dynamic closed-chain activities. Thera-Band® products such as elastic resistance bands, stability trainers and balance boards are used for functional rehabilitation.
Researchers at the University of Toledo performed a systematic review of functional exercise interventions for their effectiveness. They identified 6 studies that met their criteria for the review, including 4 that used balance boards and elastic resistance strengthening. The researchers concluded that functional rehabilitation improves dynamic balance and self-reported function in patients with chronic ankle sprains. The exercise programs from the reviewed studies generally lasted 4 to 6 weeks and were performed 3 to 5 times a week. Finally, they pointed out that wobble board training in rehabilitation programs is “supported by the literature”; therefore, Thera-Band balance boards should be a standard component of chronic ankle instability rehabilitation program.
REFERENCE Webster KA, Gribble PA. Functional rehabilitation interventions for chronic ankle instability: a systematic review. J Sport Rehabil. 2010 Feb;19(1):98-114.
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Ankle Sprain resource center here
Researchers encourage proprioceptive exercises for shoulder rehabilitation
Apr 27th
Proprioceptive exercises are commonly prescribed for lower extremity rehabilitation. More recently, sensorimotor (SMT) proprioceptive exercises have been used for shoulder rehabilitation. It’s thought that shoulder injury (in particular, shoulder instability) is related to proprioceptive deficits. Researchers speculate that deafferentation (loss of sensory information) from the mechanoreceptors of the shoulder joint capsule and altered proprioceptive information create these sensorimotor deficits (Lephart et al. 1997; Tibone et al. 1997)
A review paper in Athletic Training and Sports Healthcare discussed the adaptations of the sensorimotor system following shoulder rehabilitation. The authors used the PEDro system for inclusion criteria to review 23 articles. The most common techniques the paper reviewed included:
- Joint repositioning
- Closed-kinetic chain exercises
- Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
- Plyometrics
- Joint Perturbations
- Activation of muscle through elastic tubing, free weights or oscillation
The authors concluded that sensorimotor rehabilitation after shoulder injury is crucial, and that the sensorimotor system is, in fact, trainable. A proprioceptive and sensorimotor training program including Thera-Band® elastic bands and tubing, FlexBar® Oscillation, and closed-kinetic shoulder exercises with Stability Trainers should be included as part of a shoulder rehabilitation or prevention program.
Reference: Myers JB, and Oyama S. 2009. Sensorimotor training for shoulder injury. Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 1(5):199-208.
Click here to visit the Thera-Band Academy Shoulder Center
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Balance Training Reduces Ankle Re-Injury
Dec 3rd
Approximately 23,000 ankle sprains occur daily in the United States, and about one half require some form of medical treatment. Research has shown that athletes are twice as likely to re-injure their ankle within one year. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, athletes with ankle sprains who receive additional proprioceptive training after ‘usual care’ are 35% less likely to suffer a recurrence over the next year. Over 500 athletes in the Netherlands were randomly assigned to usual care (the control group) or usual care plus 8 weeks of balance board exercises. The ankle exercises were performed 3 times per week, 30 minutes per session as part of normal warm-up before sports. The program gradually increased in difficulty.
Download the balance board ankle exercise program here.
The authors concluded that the 8 week balance training program would benefit both athletes and the general population after suffering an ankle sprain. The results of this study were similar to findings in a 2004 study where volleyball players in the Netherlands significantly reduced their risk of re-injury after a balance board training program. Another study on American high school football players with a history of ankle sprains reduced their risk of reinjury by 77% by training with the More >
