I am a packrat. I’ll admit it.
And for all of you who are packrats, this post and probably several others in the future will serve as a rationalization as to why it is okay to be a packrat.
I have an old collection of Journals of Athletic Training and you know, it is good to go back and review some of the work that has been done in the past. They also make for great blogging material.
So today I will talk about a study that was published in the July-September 2006 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training. The study was entitled Flexible Foil Exercise and Shoulder Internal and External Rotation Strength and was conducted by Daisuke Sugimoto and Peter Blanpeid.
The goal of the study was to compare the effects of rotator cuff strengthening between Theraband and The Bodyblade. The real premise was to determine the capabilities of the Bodyblade to be utilized in strengthening of the rotator cuff.
Many of us utilize a Bodyblade for core stabalization, proprioception, muscular endurance and host of other purposes. So determining if utilizing this device in traditional rotator cuff strengthening seems like a reasonable endeavor.
Forty asymptomatic subjects completed the study and traditional standing internal and external rotation strengthening was conducted using traditional resistance bands and the Bodyblade. The program lasted for 8 weeks. Those training with the resistance bands progressed each week from Yellow to Red to Green to Blue starting with 3 sets of 10 and then moving to 3 sets of 20 for each resistance level before moving to the next level of repetitions and resistance.
As for the Bodyblade training, subjects trained with the Classic model for 4 weeks starting at 2 x 30 seconds in week 1, 2 x 40 seconds in week 2, 2 x 50 seconds in week 3, and 2 x 60 seconds in week 4. From weeks 5-8, the subjects upgraded to the Bodyblade Pro model and then repeated the same resistance progression for both internal and external rotation.
The conclusion of the study revealed that strength training for 8 weeks using the Bodyblade did not improve shoulder internal and external rotation strength.
I commend the researchers for performing this study. They do note that there were some limitations associated with this study. That being said, this is a popular item in rehabilitation clinics abroad and study was a worthwhile effort. As you read through the study, you may formulate your own questions about the study.
Overall, I am not sure if we as clinicians use the Bodyblade for strength training in the traditional sense. I think we use this device for proprioception, functional strengthening, endurance training and the like so I am not overly surprised by the results of the study. And yet, it is certainly a topic of interest.
What are your thoughts about the study? How do you use the Bodyblade with the shoulder complex? Did the results of the study surprise you? Do you know of any more recent studies that may contradict these results?
I am interested in your thoughts and comments. Please share.
I am an ATC and amateur baseball player. I remember the study cited and was not surprised by the results either. Also, it in no way changed my opinion that the Bodyblade. I think it is a useful and cost effective tool in rehabilitation of the shoulder. I would say the only better equipment is an inertial trainer, which is much more expensive.
My experience with the Bodyblade…
I have used it more on myself than any of my patients. We don’t have one in the rehabilitation clinic where I currently work, wish we did. In fact, I have looked into buying one for myself on many occasions, but never followed through.
After high school (2000 grad) I stopped playing baseball competitively to pursue a lucrative career as an ATC (little joke). I missed it and began playing again 5 years later after my first year of grad school. I did zero rotator cuff exercises before beginning baseball. I had been playing club volleyball and lifting weights, but wanted to see if it was good enough to transition into basbeall. As expected, I developed some shoulder impingement issues (biceps tendinitis and SA bursitis). Thus, begins my rehabilitation.
I began with the Classic, using it for internal/external rotation oscillations 3-4 sets 30 sec in a slightly abducted and neutral position with respect to rotation. My symptoms subsided relatively quickly. But, I continued to progress to 60 sec sets, then to the 90-90 position, sets in 90-90 with varying deg of horizontal abduction, varied amount of rotation. All this to mimic different stages of throwing mechanics. I advanced to the Pro model in these varying positions and added overhead flexion/extension oscillations. I also changed stance from squat, lunge, single leg, standing on various airex balance pads and beams, seated on physioball.
Needless to say I had fun with it and have never had an impingement episode (in that shoulder) since.
Thanks Chris – Great points. I have not used the Bodyblade a ton but I can definitely see it’s usefulness. Thanks for sharing your experience. I think there are some great functional and stabilization activities that can be performed with the Body plate that may be difficult to reproduce otherwise.
Thanks again.
Bill
As an athletic trainer cursed with the love for baseball, I am 100% behind the use of the Bodyblade for throwing athletes. I agree with the statement about it not being used as a strengthening exercise…more for proprioception & motor engram patterns, especially when oscillating through the throwing motion. This study didn’t appear to want to measure the effectiveness of it nor to see what happens with throwing athletes….just to see IR/ER strength.
Love the blog!
I follow your blog for a long time and should tell you that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.
Thanks a lot. I appreciate that. Hope to get another post out in the next day or so.
Hi, I am not an athlete by any means but a cancer survivor and one of the post side effects was shingles to my right shoulder. Painful nerve issues and muscle weakness. I have the bodyblade but have not used it much but when I did I felt my stamina increase. My shoulder is getting worse due to health and weather. I was researching reviews while considering getting more regular with this product. The inf. and feedback above was quite helpful and I know what I need to do. Thank you and God bless all your efforts!