The professionals in physical therapy and sports medicine have discovered a great resource for their patients – resistance bands. The type of movements that resistance bands allow and their structure have opened up an entirely new field of hope for patients. They are learning that they can be rehabilitated and feel better because of the benefits that come from using resistance bands in their rehabilitation routines. It is the principal behind the resistance band that makes it perform well for a therapeutic use. Resistance bands are also used for training to avoid problems such as rotator cuff injuries. Stopping the injury from even happening is still the best idea.
Therapeutic benefits
When it comes to therapeutic purposes other forms of exercise cannot help you gain all the benefits that resistance bands can offer. Free weights and exercise machines do not allow for a routine of movement from any angle. The exercises that can be incorporated by using resistance bands can be made area specific. This means that you can do exercises to tone and strengthen areas that are essentially unused as opposed to the areas you could work on by using other exercise options. This comes from the wide range of motion that resistance bands allow you.
Another essential reason why resistance bands are used in therapy is the way that you can make up exercises with them to mimic the movement you would be doing while performing certain tasks. For the non athletes this would mean using the resistance band to work out a routine of strengthening and toning while doing ordinary everyday motions like vacuuming or stirring a pot while cooking, even chopping wood. Yes, there are exercises even named after these everyday tasks! On the other hand real athletes can use the resistance bands to mimic a throwing punch or throwing a baseball, tennis swings and similar. As you can see, when it comes to resistance bands you can really use them to mimic almost every activity you might do and in turn get those particular muscle areas in proper form and working order.
Victims of a stroke
Stroke victims are one group of patients that have greatly benefited from this soothing form of therapy. When used properly resistance bands can increase circulation to the affected areas and by increasing blood flow, help heal them. Bringing back the tone and strength is so important in after stroke therapy. Giving the stroke victim their range of movement back can do so much for their lifestyle. It can enable them to live unaided for longer periods of time, maybe even avoiding moving to a nursing home.
Accident and job or sport related injuries benefit from resistance band therapy in similar way. More blood flow and strength can mean getting back to where you were before the injury, perhaps even better! Physical therapists know about these benefits and that is why many have started using these breakthrough resistance bands in their practice.
The fact that some resistance bands even have the approval of The American Physical Therapy Association is a statement that contributes to the effectiveness of resistance bands. Physical therapists know that no matter what the cause of the injury or problem is, resistance bands can usually make a dramatic change in a patient’s condition.
Allergic to latex? There is a solution!
Many people think that they are unable to use resistance bands because of their latex allergy, thereby foregoing hope of getting resistance band therapy. Provision has been made though, and there are latex free alternatives available as well. These latex free versions of resistance bands work exactly the same way and have exactly the same properties, which means that there really is no difference at all to latex or non latex resistance bands. Even the American Physical Therapy Association has an endorsement for the non latex counterpart, and this is enough to settle the matter and confirm that non latex resistance bands are as good as the original latex resistance bands.
Portability
One of the most easily overlooked benefits that the resistance bands give is portability. The therapists can take them along anywhere they plan to go with great ease. That fact enables the patients to have more options in their care, especially home based therapy patients. Resistance bands for therapy often come as a set with different strengths and accessories, keeping everything organized. It is a great resource for the therapist as well as the patient!
So as you can see, the reasons that therapists are incorporating resistance bands are proven. The results speak for themselves. The therapists have been granted a new tool in their workbox that enables them to greatly enhance the rehabilitation of their patients. Resistance bands can help rehabilitate patients who need therapy for a wide variety of causes, and this makes them such a successful breakthrough in technology that they have made news and changed lives for the better. In fact many people that have had physical therapy with resistance bands continue to use them long after their rehabilitation has ended because they know all of their benefits.