Research and News
Posts tagged exercise bands
Thera-Band® exercises safe and effective for patients with hemophilia and bleeding disorders
Jun 29th
Bleeding disorders such as hemophilia may cause bleeding in the joints, known as ‘hemarthrosis.’ This may lead to arthritis and subsequent joint replacement surgery. Exercise is an important component in managing hemarthrosis; however, many patients are hesitant to exercise for fear of injury and resulting bleeding. Few studies have examined the effectiveness of exercise in hemophilia patients.
Previously, German researchers created a strength and proprioceptive training program using Thera-Band elastic resistance and Stability Trainers. The results, published in 2003 noted improvements in strength and proprioception. The authors felt that a balance training component was important to prevent fall-related injuries in persons with hemophilia.
More recently, researchers at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center created an individualized 6-week program using Thera-Band resistance in 33 patients with bleeding disorders. They used 3 levels of progression based the participant’s strength. Download the Thera-Band exercise protocol here. The patients then used a specific color of Thera-Band resistance corresponding to the prescribed intensity (% of an isometric manual muscle test). Subjects also performed stretching and cardiovascular exercise. A physical therapist supervised the program 2 days a week. At the end of the 6-week program, there were no injuries, pain, edema, or bleeding episodes reported. The patients significantly More >
Systematic review supports use of elastic resistance exercise for shoulder impingement
Mar 9th
Shoulder impingement is a common cause of chronic shoulder pain that can be treated with exercise. Impingement can be caused by a structural narrowing of the space between the humeral bone and acromion of the scapula, or by a muscle imbalance of the rotator cuff and/or scapular stabilizer muscles. These types of impingement are referred to as structural and functional, respectively.
Thera-Band® resistance band exercises are commonly used in rehabilitation of shoulder impingement. In fact, nearly 75% (9 out of 13) of the studies in a systematic review of physiotherapy exercises for impingement included elastic resistance exercise for the rotator cuff and scapula. In their review, Kromer and colleagues found that passive treatments (such as modalities only) are not effective and cannot be justified when treating shoulder impingement.
The authors found that physiotherapist-led exercises were as effective as surgery for shoulder impingement. In addition, home-based exercises were as effective as physiotherapy interventions, although manual therapy in the clinic may provide additional short-term relief. Based on these conclusions, Thera-Band resistance band exercises in the clinic or home can be an effective and safer alternative to surgery.
Kromer TO, et al. Effects of physiotherapy in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: a systematic review of the literature. J Rehabil Med. 2009;41(11):870-80.
Elastic resistance exercise safe and effective for kidney failure patients on dialysis
Feb 11th
The kidneys serve an important function in filtering the blood. Patients with severe kidney disease or kidney failure don’t have the ability to clean their blood. This condition is known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and often requires hemodialysis that cleans the blood with a machine. In 2006, over 500,000 Americans had ESRD, with over 350,000 requiring dialysis.
Dialysis patients often have reduced physical function and quality of life because of their disease complications and lack of physical activity. Unfortunately, there is little research on exercise in dialysis patients. Researchers performed a multi-center randomized controlled trial in Spain to determine the effects of a resistance training program with ankle weights and elastic bands.
27 hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to a resistive-exercise group or a low-level aerobic exercise group. Both groups, supervised by physiotherapists, exercised 3 times a week for 6 months. Each session included 5 minutes of stretching as part of warm-up and cool down, and 25 minutes of either resistance training or stationary bike riding. The resistance training group performed training at an RPE of 12-14, and emphasized lower extremity exercise.
At the end of the study, the resistance training group significantly increased in physical function compared to the control group. The More >
Thera-Band® resistance or dumbbells? New research supports both in the clinic
Feb 7th
The debate of elastic resistance versus isotonic resistance
Elastic resistance is commonly used in rehabilitation exercises, and has been shown to increase strength and function in over 100 randomized controlled trials (www.thera-bandacademy.com). Even with this amount of clinical evidence, elastic resistance is sometimes criticized because of the difficulty in quantifying intensity. Despite the fact that force elongation charts are available to quantify elastic resistance intensity, it is sometimes difficult to use these clinically. Because of this limitation, few studies have compared elastic and isotonic resistance directly because of the intensity-dosing issue.
Quantifying EMG and RPE of elastic and isotonic resistance
Researchers in Denmark compared elastic and isotonic dumbbell resistances for muscle activation and perceived exertion levels. Healthy females performed 3 different exercises with standard dumbbells ranging from 2 to 7.5 kg, and Thera-Band elastic tubing (red, green, blue, black and silver). The researchers developed a chart comparing isotonic and Thera-Band elastic resistance stretched 125 to 150%.
Thera-Band® elastic color Isotonic Resistance Red 2 kg Green 3 kg Blue 4 kg Black 5 kg Silver 7.5 kgEach subject randomly performed 3 exercises with both types of resistance: standing lateral raise, shoulder external rotation at 0° of abduction, and seated wrist extension. The elastic tubing was stretched More >
Early Thera-Band® strengthening for rotator cuff tear repair may speed recovery
Feb 3rd
The rotator cuff is crucial for proper function of the shoulder and activities of daily living (ADL). Full-thickness rotator cuff tears require surgical repair and a lengthy recovery, often lasting 6 months or more. Early physical therapy exercises are very conservative, focusing more on allowing the repair to heal. For fear of re-injury, dynamic resistance exercise is sometimes avoided for the first 4 months post-op. Swedish researchers investigated if accelerated rehabilitation after full-thickness rotator cuff tear surgery was safe and beneficial. In their prospective, randomized and controlled trial, one group of 7 patients underwent traditional physical therapy, while another group of 7 patients performed accelerated physical therapy, utilizing dynamic elastic resistance earlier in the rehabilitation protocol. Patients in the accelerated group removed their slings after 4 weeks to begin gentle motion and early strengthening against aquatic resistance. They also initiated elastic resisted internal rotation and external rotation at 8 weeks. Both groups received clinical and home exercise programs. The researchers concluded that the accelerated group had slightly faster recovery than traditional therapy without any adverse effects. While these results are encouraging, further research with more subjects is obviously needed.
Klintberg IH, et al. Early loading in physiotherapy treatment after full-thickness rotator cuff repair: a prospective randomized More >
