Research and News
Posts tagged shoulder impingement
Rotator cuff patients benefit from Thera-Band exercises
Jun 29th
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Rotator cuff disease is the most common cause of shoulder pain in primary care (Ostor et al. 2005) and includes diagnoses such as bursitis, impingement, and rotator cuff tendinosis. Several studies featured in the Academy Blog have described how effective Thera-Band® exercises are in treating shoulder conditions, particularly when combined with manual therapy.
Researchers in Australia completed an extensive study on patients with rotator cuff disease over 3 ½ years and published their findings in the British Medical Journal. 120 patients in Melbourne meeting eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to either a home exercise and manual therapy or a placebo-controlled group receiving only sham ultrasound. 14 experienced physiotherapists at 12 centers were trained to provide both interventions.
The intervention program was published in a separate paper in 2007. Download their protocol here. The exercise and manual therapy group received 10 sessions of individualized standard treatment over 10 weeks including a twice-daily home exercise program with Thera-Band exercise bands. At the end of the first 10 weeks, there was no significant difference in pain or function between the experimental and control groups; they both significantly improved.
They More >
Evidence to support Thera-Band for shoulder impingement grows
Jun 13th
Subacromial shoulder impingement often responds well to therapeutic exercise, particularly when coupled with manual therapy (Bang 2000). Injections and surgery are sometimes as good but are associated with higher risks. British researchers were interested in the added benefit of an injection with individualized physiotherapy exercises and manual therapy. 232 patients with subacromial impingement syndrome were randomly assigned to an exercise group or exercise combined with injection. All subjects received individualized exercise interventions as the physiotherapist chose from 6 mobilization techniques and 23 exercises including Thera-Band exercise bands. The exercise combined with injection group received a corticosteroid injection and avoided resistive exercises for the first 2 weeks of therapy. Download the physiotherapy protocol here.
The group receiving exercise with an injection significantly improved in their pain and disability in the short term (first 6 weeks); however, there were no significant differences between groups at 3 and 6 month follow-ups. The authors concluded that a corticosteroid injection is beneficial only if rapid pain relief is a priority, and up to 1/3 of patients will not respond to 12 weeks of exercise and manual therapy, possibly benefiting from a corticosteroid injection. This study supports the use of Thera-Band exercise bands combined with manual therapy in More >
Shoulder Impingement Rehabilitation Exercise Protocol
Nov 16th
Shoulder impingement is a very common cause of shoulder pain. Impingement occurs when the humerus ‘impinges’ on the acromion of the shoulder, reducing the subacromial space (SAS). Impingement may result from structural causes such as bony deformation of the acromion, or as a functional result of shoulder instability and weakness. While therapeutic exercise is a standard treatment for functional impingement, no “gold standard” rehab protocol exists.
Dr. John Kuhn of Vanderbilt Sports Medicine in Tennessee published a systematic review of exercises used to treat shoulder impingement. This review of 11 randomized controlled trials strongly suggests that exercise improves symptoms in patients with impingement syndrome. Dr. Kuhn concluded that exercise was as effective as surgery in treating shoulder impingement and a home program can be as effective as supervised exercise.
His review, published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, provided several suggestions for an impingement rehab protocol based on the literature:
1. Exercises should include daily range of motion exercises and stretching
2. Scapular and rotator cuff strengthening with Thera-Band elastic resistance bands should be performed 3 times a week for 3 sets of 10 with a progressive increase in resistance and repetitions to 3 sets of 20. Specific exercises are listed below:
Rotator Cuff Exercises with More >
