RESISTANCE BANDS – EXCELLENT WITH CHIROPRACTIC

Have You Ever Tried Resistance Bands?

You have probably seen resistance bands in various professional settings, maybe in different clinics or even health clubs. Resistance bands are excellent with chiropractic. These resistance bands are excellent tools to build strength, improve flexibility, and boost recovery. As you rehabilitate, you become stronger and can continue to build progressively to reach your goals. It’s easy to harness their lightweight, portable power. Resistance bands have been proven as effective as weights for increasing strength, and they are great for stretching movements to increase range of motion.

How Do The Bands Work?

When muscles contract, the movement of shortening is a concentric contraction, while lengthening is an “eccentric” contraction. While a lot of people think of resistance bands as being “static”, or “isometric”, actually, the bands can provide for both concentric and eccentric contractions. Isometric contractions generate force without changing the length of the muscle, but resistance bands allow the muscle to go through full-length movements.  At Blue Heron Chiropractic, we have band workouts specific to all areas of the body.

Resistance bands provide a truly progressive workout system.  Basically, these bands are color-coded. The color codes are yellow, red, green, blue, black, silver and gold; the resistance increases in that order. The Yellows are light, Reds are medium, Greens are “heavy medium”. The kits these days refer to these as “Beginner”, but that’s not very technical. Still, we regularly start people on red or green. The blues are heavy, blacks are “Special Heavy” and Silver and Gold are extra heavy. Silver and Gold are more than most people will be using in the clinic, but they are available. We will special order any specific band for you if requested but we have the basic and advanced sets available in-clinic. We can give you expert instructions to help you build your healthiest strongest body.

Anything special to be known about these Bands?

Previously, these bands were made of latex. More recently they are now available in non-latex versions. You do have to pay attention to that if you have a latex allergy. At Blue Heron Chiropractic, we only use the non-latex bands. When we dispense them to you, it will be a non-latex version.  While there are still latex varieties available, they are a bit tricky because there are occasionally multiple people in a household, some with varying sensitivities. We think that now that the latex allergy has been identified as an issue, just go non-latex. We particularly like Theraband brand exercise bands. 

You should be aware that these bands can snap. As they get older, particularly if exposed to sun, they will weaken. If they snap, they are probably not going to do major damage but they could smart a bit and could cause you a lurch. Since we want to minimize that, always inspect your bands for any wear or fraying, nicks or cuts. Come in to the clinic and we will cut you new ones or provide you a kit!

How does Blue Heron Chiropractic help with these Bands?

We can show you how to integrate the resistance band exercises into your chiropractic recovery program and have it really work for you.

The cool thing about resistance band exercises is they completely fit our clinic philosophy that one does not have to buy a health club membership to be able to do basic exercise. The truth is these resistance bands are completely portable, and can go with you on trips in your carry-on. At the same time, while you can turn your living room into a resistance gym, they are easily packed into a drawer and put away at home in between workouts.

We can dispense or get you access to special (inexpensive) attachments. Attachments like handles or ankle straps allow you to connect these to doorways or furniture to customize your workout. You can create an entire home gym for under $35.

Finally, if you have questions about how Dr. Dana Sibilla and Chiropractic can help you, or about exercise, optimal function, pain or pain management, schedule an appointment today.