PILATES RESISTANCE BAND/Theraband

[jax]

Has anyone used these Pilates/physio elastic resistance bands before and what are your opinons/experiences with them.
I'm using band at moment to build up shoulder strength. I'm not finding it easy and some afterpain/aching/burning. May just be the muscles
working - not sure.

Sorry, If I've put this in the wrong place.

Jax

[hannah]

I used a green theraband for shoulder exercises - and it got banned within 2 weeks because it was screwing up my elbows. If it is causing increasing amounts of pain then you probably shouldn't be using them as much as the exercises may be too advanced. Most of the theraband exercises have gentler non-band equivalents.
Some muscle ache is expected on exercise - but it should recover before the next days session. If it is gradually increasing each day and not going away you are probably overdoing it.
At least, that is my personal, bendy, biased, untrained opinion

[Rachel1985]

Hi I use these ands daily as part of my physio exercises which have been prescirbed by the clinical specialist physio at my hospital (who' area is shoulders and knees). I've also used them within 1:! pilates classes again with a focus on stabilising my shoulders, and working all those small rotator band muscles. It's also a piece of equipment that I used to use a lot when I had a personal trainer. The feeling you get with using one is like a burning pain, but that's what it feels like to work your muscle to that state of tiredness! I've found that when using them because you are targetting such smaller muscles that wouldn't normaly get used, they do fatigue quickly, and so maybe you can only do 5 reps to start with, and build up from this, but you will feel the after effects in terms of normal muscle fatigue, which gets less, with an increase in reps & therefore strength. I now do about 50 in one go - of each exercise, (alternate sets of 10 on each side), but I started with 10 reps 3 times a day. It's worth continuing with under the guidance of a physio/pilates instructor, as i've found it really key in stabilising my shoulder joint and shoulder blades, and in increasing my own awareness of what my shoulder/shoulder blades and surrounding muscles are doing in various positions, even without using the band e.g., lifting my arm up I can now tell when the humeral head is going to sublux posterially & can ensure most of the time that I correct this before it happens.

[loon]

Totally agree with rachel, I have previously used them to great effect following shoulder surgery and am now using them follwing knee surgery. For my knee i started off with a green one and with little resistance (ie not stretching it too much) and as it got easier i put more resistance on it and did more reps, I am now using a black one and slowly building this up. I did the same with my shoulder slowly building up reps and strengths with the guidance of a physio. I think used properly it is a brilliant versatile strengthening aid.

[Tabi]

I was given one by physio for my shoulders, and although it didn't hurt my shoulders, the pain I got in my elbows and wrists made me feel so sick I couldn't use it!!
xxxx

[paw]

I have yellow and red therabands from physio after my shoulder surgery. They were and still are stronger than either of my shoulders and doing the exercises the physio set up for me pulls the shoulders apart. EVERY TIME. Those bands are not my friends. I can find other ways to dislocate my shoulders, I don't need a special tool to do it.

I know some of you have stronger shoulders than I do, but use with caution!

[Eloise]

I use a pink one and find it great. My pilates tutor has shown me how to hold my joints and muscles properly before I do the movement to make sure I am getting the right muscles and not in danger of a dislocation. Often I hold the band so it is fairly loose and it only provides minimal resistance, and I only do the movement in the range of no pain and no danger of dislocation.

The have managed to help strengthen my shoulders to reduce the amounts of dislocation I have and so I am very pleased with them.

If anyone is getting any pain or dislocations from it - then you need to look at the movement you are doing and make the movement smaller or less repetitions or hold the band further along so that it is less tense.

[adele]

I am another person who has used the bands with no success...
When i tried using them for my shoulders under the supervision of a physio i was banned after a couple of weeks as it was damaging my joints further.
I used one on my ankles for years and years to find out it was making them worse not better and was possibly the reason for my ankles becoming so bad.

I think what we can conclude from all this is that everyone is different, and unless you try yourself you are not going to know whether it is going to be helpful for you or not!

[jax]

wow, thanks for all your feedback! I think I might have been overdoing it a bit - eager beaver. I'm also
using the band to stabilize the shoulder area but still some aches and pangs left over from the sublux
(I'm getting down here on the lingo). I think it's a sublux if it's moved slightly out of place and then put
back into place? I don't dislocate though.

I'll persevere but with fewer reps. Also physio says I need to hold in my stomach muscles and watch my
posture while I do it (I could see what she meant yesterday sideways in mirror where i tend to slump my
shoulders and cave)

Thanks for all your replies and encouragement.

J

[Lauren]

I've lost the yellow band my physiotherapist gave me. Does anyone know where I can get a new one?

[Flora]

found this link http://www.thera-bands.co.uk/product.php?id_product=10, I expected them to be more expensive, I might have to get one myself....
flora