"Thera-Band Kicks" improve balance after chronic ankle sprains in only 4 weeks

Thera-Band Tubing Hip Extension Kick

As many as 70% of people who sprain their ankle re-injure themselves; poor balance has been implicated as a possible cause for the high recurrence rate in ankle sprains. As a result, balance training exercises have been prescribed to help reduce subsequent ankle sprains. Exercise programs using unstable surfaces such as Thera-Band Stability Trainers and Balance Boards have been shown effective at improving balance in patients with chronic ankle sprains. Recently, researchers from San Jose State University found that exercises using elastic tubing are also effective at improving balance in patients suffering from repetitive ankle sprains. In the randomized, controlled study, both subjects with and without a history of ankle sprains were given 4 weeks of elastic tubing exercise involving ‘kicks’ against the resistance in 4 directions; they exercised 3 times pwer week for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. The subjects progressively increased the resistance level over the 4 weeks. After only 4 weeks of training, balance improved in both subjects with and without a history of sprains, demonstrating the efficacy of the simple exercise often referred to as “Thera-Band Kicks.” Interestingly, subjects had improved balance up to 4 weeks after the exercise program had ended.

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