Thera-Band® Stability Trainer Proven to Decrease Ankle Injuries in Young Athletes
Akron, OH, February 25, 2008 --(PR.com)-- A recent study co-authored by a physical therapist, high school athletic trainer and member of the Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee concludes that athletes who perform balance training using the Thera-Band® foam Stability Trainer can reduce the risk of noncontact inversion ankle sprains -- particularly those associated in high school football players with a high body mass index and previous ankle sprain.
Timothy Tyler, MS, PT, ATC, co-authored the study entitled “The Effectiveness of a Balance Training Intervention in Reducing the Incidence of Noncontact Ankle Sprains in High School Football Players,” which was published in the August edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Tyler and colleagues observed 125 high school varsity football players from two teams over a period of three seasons each as they incorporated single-limb balance training using a (blue) Thera-Band® Stability Trainer. The players were selected and grouped based on their risk level (low, moderate or high) for ankle sprains as a result of body mass index and previous ankle injuries.
Before stability trainer intervention, non-contact inversion sprains – defined in the article as “an ankle injury with an inversion mechanism requiring the player to miss at least one game or practice” – was 0.4 injuries per 1,000 exposures for minimal-risk players; 1.2 for low-risk players; 1.9 for moderate-risk players; and 5.7 for high-risk players.
However, after intervention, injury incidence decreased to 0.8 injuries per 1,000 exposures for minimal-risk players and 0.4, 0.6 and 1.4, respectively, for low-, moderate- and high-risk players. Combined, the post-intervention results represented an overall 77 percent reduction in injury incidents, the study concluded.
The Thera-Band® Stability Trainer was chosen over wooden ankle disks because of its comparatively light weight and low cost, and was actually favored over the wooden disks by the players, the authors wrote.
“Tim and his colleagues have confirmed what we have thought clinically all along. The Thera-Band® Stability Trainer is an effective tool which can be incorporated into any sports training program to reduce the risk of injury and improve motor skills and balance in people of all ages,” said Phil Page, PT, ATC, MS, CSCS, manager of Clinical Education and Research for Thera-Band® and Biofreeze® products. “Tim’s proven expertise and research in athletic training and physical therapy are why we are proud to have him on our Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee.”
Tyler is a clinical research associate with the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine & Athletic Trauma in New York. He also serves as the Scarsdale High School athletic trainer in Scarsdale, N.Y., where he owns and operates PRO Sports Physical Therapy.
For more details on the study, visit http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/tyler and download a copy of the training protocol.
For more than 30 years, Thera-Band products, manufactured by The Hygenic Corporation, have been the leading products in progressive exercise and are recognized for their quality and effectiveness by rehabilitation specialists and professional athletic trainers. For more information on Thera-Band products, visit www.thera-band.com.
The Thera-Band Academy was formed by Hygenic Corporation in 1999 to support evidence-based practice. The Academy promotes and disseminates research, and provides education programs for Thera-Band products around the world. The mission of the Academy is to facilitate research, education and practice using the Thera-Band System of Progressive Exercise. For a comprehensive searchable database of research, exercises, articles and clinical applications for injury and disease rehabilitation, visit the Thera-Band® Academy Web site, www.Thera-BandAcademy.com
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Timothy Tyler, MS, PT, ATC, co-authored the study entitled “The Effectiveness of a Balance Training Intervention in Reducing the Incidence of Noncontact Ankle Sprains in High School Football Players,” which was published in the August edition of the American Journal of Sports Medicine.
Tyler and colleagues observed 125 high school varsity football players from two teams over a period of three seasons each as they incorporated single-limb balance training using a (blue) Thera-Band® Stability Trainer. The players were selected and grouped based on their risk level (low, moderate or high) for ankle sprains as a result of body mass index and previous ankle injuries.
Before stability trainer intervention, non-contact inversion sprains – defined in the article as “an ankle injury with an inversion mechanism requiring the player to miss at least one game or practice” – was 0.4 injuries per 1,000 exposures for minimal-risk players; 1.2 for low-risk players; 1.9 for moderate-risk players; and 5.7 for high-risk players.
However, after intervention, injury incidence decreased to 0.8 injuries per 1,000 exposures for minimal-risk players and 0.4, 0.6 and 1.4, respectively, for low-, moderate- and high-risk players. Combined, the post-intervention results represented an overall 77 percent reduction in injury incidents, the study concluded.
The Thera-Band® Stability Trainer was chosen over wooden ankle disks because of its comparatively light weight and low cost, and was actually favored over the wooden disks by the players, the authors wrote.
“Tim and his colleagues have confirmed what we have thought clinically all along. The Thera-Band® Stability Trainer is an effective tool which can be incorporated into any sports training program to reduce the risk of injury and improve motor skills and balance in people of all ages,” said Phil Page, PT, ATC, MS, CSCS, manager of Clinical Education and Research for Thera-Band® and Biofreeze® products. “Tim’s proven expertise and research in athletic training and physical therapy are why we are proud to have him on our Thera-Band Research Advisory Committee.”
Tyler is a clinical research associate with the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine & Athletic Trauma in New York. He also serves as the Scarsdale High School athletic trainer in Scarsdale, N.Y., where he owns and operates PRO Sports Physical Therapy.
For more details on the study, visit http://info.thera-bandacademy.com/tyler and download a copy of the training protocol.
For more than 30 years, Thera-Band products, manufactured by The Hygenic Corporation, have been the leading products in progressive exercise and are recognized for their quality and effectiveness by rehabilitation specialists and professional athletic trainers. For more information on Thera-Band products, visit www.thera-band.com.
The Thera-Band Academy was formed by Hygenic Corporation in 1999 to support evidence-based practice. The Academy promotes and disseminates research, and provides education programs for Thera-Band products around the world. The mission of the Academy is to facilitate research, education and practice using the Thera-Band System of Progressive Exercise. For a comprehensive searchable database of research, exercises, articles and clinical applications for injury and disease rehabilitation, visit the Thera-Band® Academy Web site, www.Thera-BandAcademy.com
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The Hygenic Corporation
Naomi Kall
800-321-2135, ext. 240
Naomi Kall
800-321-2135, ext. 240
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