Research and News
Posts tagged elastic resistance
Thera-Band exercises can improve fitness and function in older women
Jan 26th
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our email updates for new blog posts. Thanks for visiting!
As women age, the transition to menopause often results in an increase in body fat and a reduction in muscle mass. This change in body composition is also associated with a decline in function and an increase in physical disability. German researchers evaluated the effectiveness of an exercise program for community-dwelling older females they developed called “Senior Fitness and Prevention Study.” Their results were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
246 women (average age 69 years old) were randomly assigned to either a well-rounded, multi-component exercise program or a sedentary control group. The exercise group participated in an 18-month program consisting of 2 supervised sessions (60 minutes) and 2 home sessions (20 minutes) per week. Exercises included aerobic dance, stretching, balance exercises, and strengthening exercises with body weight and resistance bands. Intensity was increased throughout the program.
The attendance of the group exercise program was relatively high at 76%. Compared to the control group, the exercise group significantly improved in body composition, reducing fat and increasing muscle mass. In conclusion, the authors noted that the exercise program’s “minimal technological equipment ensured More >
Stroke survivors benefit from exercise
Jan 13th
Survivors of cerebrovascular accidents (also known as ‘strokes’) are often left with residual weakness and disability. Exercise training after stroke is gaining acceptance as a standard of care as more research supports its safety and efficacy. This pattern resembles what we observed after cardiac rehabilitation became popular following heart attacks: exercise is an essential part of recovery.
British researchers wanted to determine if a fall prevention program using Thera-Band® resistance products (Dyer et al. 2004) would be beneficial for stroke survivors as well. 243 stroke survivors (at least 3 months post stroke) were randomized into either a standard care control group or an 8-week, twice weekly group program including exercise and education. The exercises consisted of functional activities and resistance training using weights and Thera-Band resistance bands. The participants in the exercise group significantly increased their quality of life to a greater extent than the control group; this difference was maintained one year after the program as well. Thera-Band resistance bands can be safely used as part of a well-rounded exercise program for stroke survivors.
REFERENCE: Harrington R, Taylor G, Hollinghurst S, Reed M, Kay H, Wood VA. A community-based exercise and education scheme for stroke survivors: a randomized controlled trial and economic evaluation. Clin More >
Thera-Band Exercise Station Study Now Available
Dec 24th
Several months ago, I wrote an entry about a study on the Thera-Band® Exercise Station by Dr. Juan Colado from University of Valencia in Spain, titled, Young women can gain as much strength using the Thera-Band® Exercise Station as training with free weights.
At the time, the article was only published on-line; it’s now available in print in the November issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine. I wanted to share the exercise protocol with you in the spirit of ‘translating research into practice.’ Download the Thera-Band Exercise Station exercise program here.
REFERENCE: Colado JC, et al. A comparison of elastic tubing and isotonic resistance exercises. Int J Sports Med. 2010 Nov;31(11):810-7.
Visit the Thera-Band Academy Exercise Station Resource Center Here
Abduction exercise after hip replacement: is there an optimal progression?
Aug 23rd
Patients undergoing total hip replacement often have weak hip abductor muscles before and after surgery. One of the most common hip exercises is sidelying hip abduction using an ankle weight. While this may be an effective exercise to activate the gluteus medius muscle, open-chain, non-weight bearing hip abduction is not specific to the function of the gluteus medius as a pelvic stabilizer in single-leg stance. Resisted lateral walking with a Thera-Band® Band Loop or Tubing with Cuffs is an example of such a closed-chain exercise as the patient steps away from the involved leg.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky evaluated electromyographic (EMG) levels of 4 exercises in total hip patients between 7 and 32 weeks post-operative. Dr. Cale Jacobs and colleagues were interested to see if there was a progression of muscle activation to guide clinical decisions about hip abduction exercise prescription. They published their findings in the Journal of Arthroplasty. The 4 exercises included 2 non-weight bearing and 2 weight-bearing exercises:
- Standing hip abduction with cuff weight at 1% of bodyweight, lifted to 30 degrees
- Sidelying hip abduction with cuff weight at 0.5% of bodyweight, lifted to 50% of leg length
- Standing hip abduction with uninvolved leg to 30 degrees
- Lateral walk with Thera-Band resistance band attached with More >
Young women can gain as much strength using the Thera-Band® Exercise Station as training with free weights
Aug 18th
Dr. Juan Carlos Colado of the University of Valencia in Spain has published several excellent research papers on the effectiveness of Thera-Band® elastic resistance for fitness. In particular, he and his colleagues have shown that elastic resistance is as effective as isotonic machines for increasing strength in middle-aged women (Colado & Triplett 2008). In addition, they showed that elastic resistance exercise intensity can be regulated using “perceived exertion.”
Dr. Colado has continued his scientific investigations on the efficacy of elastic resistance, this time comparing free weight exercise training to elastic tubing exercises using the Thera-Band Exercise Station. His results are published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. 42 women were randomly assigned to either a free weight exercise group, a Thera-Band exercise group, or a non-exercising control group. The two exercise groups performed the same 15 upper and lower body exercises using the OMNI perceived exertion scale to standardize intensity between the groups. The intervention lasted eight weeks for two to four sessions per week. Subjects were tested for muscular strength before and after the training program.
After the eight week program, both exercise groups reported up to 29% improvement in upper and lower body strength, while the control group did not. There was no More >
