Research and News
Soft Weights
Thera-Band and Biofreeze for Sports Specific Rehabilitation
Jun 24th
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Dr. Barton Bishop, a member of the Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) published a feature article in PT Products magazine. He described how various products including Thera-Band® and Biofreeze® products can be used by clinicians for sport-specific rehabilitation. Read the story here.
Here are some excerpts from his article:
“It is obvious to most of us that pain is inhibitory—when we hurt, we don’t want to move. But pain also creates neurologic inhibition; pain will actually shut down the muscle and not allow it to work either properly, or at all. This is where topical treatments such as Biofreeze® can come into play. Research by Topp1 has shown that Biofreeze can reduce blood flow immediately after application, thus decreasing pain-causing inflammation. This is a great way to help an athlete play with less pain. Because it is extremely portable, fast-acting, and doesn’t stiffen an area like ice does, Biofreeze can be applied immediately before or during a practice or game.”
“This same idea of activating muscles based on their function and not their action should be repeated everywhere else in the body. The rotator More >
Developing Thera-Band exercise programs for overhead throwing athletes
Dec 17th
The overhead athlete’s shoulder must be strong, flexible, and enduring for optimal performance. Shoulder exercises for the throwing athlete must reflect the specific functional demands required both for injury prevention and rehabilitation. Head Athletic Trainer for the Boston Red Sox, Mike Reinold, DPT, ATC, CSCS, published a “current concepts” paper on preventive and rehabilitative exercises for overhead throwing athletes.
Dr. Reinold and his colleagues outlined 6 principles of injury prevention and treatment programs:
1. Maintain range of motion
2. Maintain strength of the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic musculature
3. Emphasize dynamic stabilization and neuromuscular control
4. Core and lower body training
5. Off-season preparation
6. In-season maintenance
In addition, the authors outlined a rehabilitation progression for shoulder conditions including impingement, instability, and rotator cuff tendonitis. They recommend the use of products such as elastic tubing, exercise balls, soft weights, and band loops throughout the program. By understanding the demands on the throwing shoulder, rehabilitation professionals can improve their clinical decision-making and progressive exercise prescription. For more information on the overhead throwing shoulder, I recommend Dr. Reinold’s book co-written with Kevin Wilk PT and James Andrews MD, The Athlete’s Shoulder. The Thera-Band family of resistance exercise products is an important part of any preventive or rehabilitative exercise program for overhead throwing athletes.
REFERENCE: More >
Thera-Band® products featured in evidence-based shoulder rehabilitation
Nov 29th
Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff injuries often respond well to physical therapy exercises. The success of the exercise program will depend on an accurate clinical assessment and an evidence-based approach to prescribing appropriate interventions. Two expert physical therapists and clinical researchers published an excellent review on the rehabilitation of shoulder impingement syndrome and rotator cuff injuries in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Drs. Todd Ellenbecker and Ann Cools offer a well-detailed description of the literature behind range of motion limitations, scapular dyskinesis, and muscle balance. Both authors have published extensively in these areas of clinical research, giving them an excellent perspective at translating evidence into practice by sharing their expertise. Ellenbecker and Cools provide some unique exercises for restoring shoulder muscle balance, including the “external rotation oscillation” exercise using Thera-Band® tubing and a FlexBar®. Dr. Ellenbecker recently completed an EMG study on this exercise, finding moderate levels of infraspinatus muscle activation. Another exercise researched by Dr. Ellenbecker, a 90-90 plyometric external rotation with a Thera-Band soft weight was highlighted in the article as well, and was featured previously on the Academy blog.
Simple and effective Thera-Band products can be a valuable part of an evidence-based shoulder rehabilitation program.
REFERENCE: Ellenbecker TS, Cools A. Rehabilitation of shoulder More >
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 >
ATP tour uses Thera-Band® products for their players
Aug 30th
Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) member, Todd Ellenbecker, DPT, MS, SCS, OCS, CSCS was recently featured on a video demonstrating balance and agility exercises for tennis with Thera-Band products. Todd is the Director of Sports Medicine for the ATP Tour, and is the National Director of Clinical Research and Clinic Director of Physiotherapy Associates in Scottsdale. Learn more about the Thera-Band Stability Trainer, Band Loops, and Soft Weights that Todd recommends in the video.
You can also view the video at the ATP website here: Agility Training for Tennis with Thera-Band Products
For more information on purchasing Thera-Band products, contact your local healthcare distributor or visit our “Where to Buy” website to find a practitioner in your area who sells the products.
