Research and News
Posts tagged home exercise program
Exercises for stroke survivors improve strength and function
Jan 7th
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Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) often lead to disability and sometimes death due to lack of oxygen to different parts of the brain. These are also known more commonly as a “stroke,” and can cause weakness of the trunk and extremities, usually on the side opposite the brain damage. For example, a stroke affecting the left side of the brain will result in weakness to the right arm and leg.
Historically, resistance exercise was rarely used in stroke patients for fear of increasing muscle spasticity. Instead, rehabilitation focused on assisting with functional tasks and maintaining muscle range of motion. With the advances in stroke recognition and treatment, and the subsequent increase in those surviving a stroke, stroke survivors (estimated at 6 million survivors) are often left with residual weakness and functional disability. Therefore, strength training is now recommended for ambulatory stroke survivors.
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Regular exercise in assisted living maintains function and reduces falls
Dec 16th
As the aging population increases, many older adults are moving into assisted living facilities to maintain their independence. Exercise programs are now a standard offering at most assisted living facilities not only as a ‘benefit,’ but also to maintain functional independence and prevent falls. Programs such as the First Step to Active Health using Thera-Band resistance bands have been successfully used in many older adult exercise programs.
Physical therapy researchers at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut evaluated the impact of a wellness program on function and falls in older adults at an assisted living facility. The program included upper and lower body strength and flexibility activities using free weights and resistance bands. All residents completed a functional baseline screening including balance, strength and cognition. The baseline measurement was used to help direct the resident into a specific program such as a fall prevention class or aquatic exercise regimen. Their participation in these programs was tracked over 12 months, and 2 groups were identified: regular and non-regular participants. After 12 months, the regular exercise group improved or remained the same level of balance and endurance, while the non-regular exercisers declined. In addition, the non-regular exercise group had more falls than regular exercisers.
Thera-Band resistance bands More >
Home exercise with Thera-Band® tubing reduces knee pain in older Japanese women
Oct 19th
It’s been suggested that 25% of people over the age of 25 experience persistent knee pain (Peat et al. 2001); furthermore, it’s estimated that one quarter of adults with mild to moderate knee pain will develop severe or disabling pain within 3 years (Jinks et al. 2008). Several studies have shown that exercises with elastic resistance such as Thera-Band® resistance bands reduce pain and improve function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (O’Reilly et al. 1999, Topp et al. 2002). Researchers in Japan investigated the effectiveness of home physical therapy exercises in community-dwelling females with mild knee pain.
42 elderly females with mild knee pain during activity were divided into 2 groups based on their home location (thus they were not randomized): non-exercising control group and a home exercise group. Each subject in the exercise group received 2 home visits by a physical therapist for instruction in an exercise program using Thera-Band resistance tubing for leg strengthening. Exercises were progressed as limited by pain and performed 3 times per week for 5 months.
After the program, the individuals in the exercise group significantly improved in their WOMAC score, which measures pain, stiffness and function in arthritis patients. In addition, they had less pain during More >
Thera-Band® resistance vital part of older adult home exercise study
Aug 12th
Thera-Band® Academy has been supporting clinical research projects around the world for over a decade. The research helps validate the use of Thera-Band products and provides clinicians with evidence to support practice. Several years ago, the First Step to Active Health® program was developed in response to a “call to action” by the National Blueprint to Increase Physical Activity Among Older Adults for medical professionals to provide evidence-based physical activity programs for sedentary older adults. The First Step to Active Health kit contains a well-rounded exercise program with a Thera-Band resistance band and illustrated exercises for flexibility, strength and balance activities at home.
While physicians are the most influential at encouraging people to begin exercising, less than 50% of physicians recommend exercise as part of their patient’s treatment, and even less among those with cardiovascular disease. This number will hopefully increase as physicians understand that the benefits of physical activity usually outweigh the risks. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has launched a new initiative encouraging physicians to write prescriptions for physical activity through their “Exercise is Medicine” campaign.
German researchers at Ruhr-University in Bochum Germany have started a feasibility study on a 12-week multi-modal home exercise program including Thera-Band resistance bands. General practitioners and exercise therapists will work together More >
Thera-Band exercises effective for acute ankle sprains
Apr 20th
Ankle sprains are the most common injury in sports. Rehabilitation exercise after ankle sprains include active and resisted exercises, often performed with a Thera-Band® elastic band. Reduced ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) is considered to be a sign of significant injury and can affect gait and function.
Researchers at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota recruited patients with acute (within 4 days) Grade I or II ankle sprains. They were prescribed a 4 to 6 week home exercise program that included cold and compression, along with progressive resisted exercises using an elastic band. Patients performed resisted dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, inversion, and eversion with a yellow Thera-Band resistance band, completing 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions, one to two times per day. The patients progressed through the remainder of the Thera-Band color-coded progression (red, green, blue, black, and silver) as they improved in strength. Once the patients could perform 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions of resisted plantar flexion, they began calf raises. They also performed single-leg balance exercises including standing on foam pads. In addition to the Thera-Band and balance programs that the patients received, participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups of stretching the Achilles tendon on increase dorsiflexion. Each group performed 3 More >
