Research and News
Posts tagged sensorimotor
Physical therapy with Thera-Band products effective after surgical repair of ankle fracture
May 4th
After surgery to repair an ankle fracture, physical therapy exercise is usually prescribed; however, no randomized, controlled studies have evaluated the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program after removing the post-operative cast. A prospective, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) was published by researchers in Sweden to evaluate a standardized, but individually-suited training program supervised by a physiotherapist.
105 patients were randomly assigned to a control group or physical therapy group after an average of 6 weeks in a plaster cast. The control group received “usual care”: advice and self-directed exercise. While 76% of subjects in the control group also attended physical therapy sessions on their own, their exercises were not the standardized program of the experimental group.
The physical therapy program began 1 week after cast removal and lasted 12 weeks, with 2 sessions per week. Patients also performed exercises at home between physical therapy visits. The neuromuscular training program consisted of range of motion (ROM) exercises, strengthening, balance training, and closed-kinetic chain exercises. Patients used Thera-Band® resistance bands for ankle strengthening exercises as well as wobble board and mini-trampoline exercises for balance training. Download the article and exercise protocol from the Academy here.
After 12 weeks, the physical therapy group showed improved results compared to the control More >
Thera-Band® Academy Educates Polish Physiotherapists
Sep 24th
Polish physiotherapists are learning the latest techniques in therapy through a new program partnered with the European Union and Thera-Band® Academy in Poland. The EU is funding a professional development program to support continuing education courses approved by the Polish Society of Physiotherapy. “We will have over 120 hands-on workshops this year alone featuring Thera-Band® products on a number of topics, including functional band training, sensorimotor training, and Bruegger exercise,” said Josef Spalek, a physiotherapist who leads Thera-Band Academy in Poland. These courses are accredited by the Polish Society of Physiotherapy. Recently, Phil Page PT ATC, director of the Thera-Band Academy, gave a 2-day workshop in Warsaw on treating chronic musculoskeletal pain as part of the program using Thera-Band products. Page also presented a half-day workshop on Thera-Band elastic resistance and balance training at the First International Congress of Polish Rehabilitation, organized by the Polish Society of Physiotherapy and Polish Society of Rehabilitation. The congress celebrated 20 year anniversaries of each organization. Attended by over 1000 physiotherapists and rehabilitation physicians, the Congress was held Sept. 10-13, 2009 at the University of Economics and Computer Science in Warsaw.
