In my never ending quest to make manual treatments and movements better, I am always experimenting. Here are 5 things I have been doing with my EDGE Mobility Bands.
1) Use them on a limb as they are performing functional exercises
Most recently, after taking care of persistent knee pain, an older patient was complaining that she had difficulty getting in and out of a chair for the past several years. She had been using her hands on the arm rests. I started with hip hinging and then progressed deadlifts. This caused her some right lateral knee discomfort. After some light wrapping with the EMB around the mid to distal thigh, the deadlifts became completely pain free. Notice I said light wrapping! Others recommend heavy compression and 30-50% stretch on their products, but that leaves a small 2 minute window before ischemia takes over and the compressed limb goes numb. With the light wrapping, she was able to do about 100 deadlifts on/off for 15 minutes with a small kettlebell. Afterward, she was able to get in and out of a chair without use of her UEs 50 times! She was so happy she started crying and hugged me.
2) Use them to make neurodynamic tensioners feel like sliders
Something about the compression often rapidly improves the ROM to the amount they normally have prior to pain or paraesthesia perception. Perhaps it is a form of gaiting.
3) Use them for self soft tissue mobilization
Other than compression wrapping, you can easily grasp an area of tissue and circumferentially mobilize it as demonstrated in this video. This often helps with chronic lateral/medial epicondylalgia presentations and improves neurodynamics as well (radial/ulnar respectively).
4) To modulate joint mobilizations
If a patient is benefiting from shoulder distraction, anterior, posterior glides etc... but has difficulty tolerating them, wrap the proximal upper arm first. Now perform the mobilization/manipulation again. It is often much more comforable = more relaxation = end range obtained easier and rapid effects even faster. Win/win!
5) To enhance self mobilization for HEP
Tibial IR loss? Have them wrap the proximal tibia then perform the half knee ankle dorsiflexion movement lunge while rotating the band internally. This often reduces knee pain and increases ankle dorsiflexion. Hip IR and/or flexion loss? Have them wrap the proximal thigh while rotating the band opposite the direction they are actively rotating their hip as in this video by Adam Kelly of Eat, Run, Rehabilitate!
Keeping it Eclectic and making manual therapy more comfortable for willing to try something different...
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