Exercise with Thera-Band® Stability Trainers helps improve balance in hip patients

“Hip School” is an exercise program for patients with hip osteoarthritis or hip replacement. It was developed in Germany in 1999 by physiotherapist Georg Haupt and orthopedic surgeon Thomas Horstmann. In the program, small groups of patients (10-15) exercise under the guidance of a physical therapist. The exercises focus on closed-chain balance exercises including 20 minutes of:

• 1-leg balance for 15-30 seconds for 5 repetitions on each leg
• 1-leg balance with opposite leg movement 1 to 3 times for 15 to 25 repetitions
• Hip lift for 3 sets of 15 to 25 repetitions
• 2 leg calf raise with 3 second hold, 1 to 3 times for 15 to 25 repetitions.

Patients progress their balance exercises from a stable surface to Thera-Band® Stability Trainers for increased challenge. In addition, exercises are performed at home 3 to 5 times a week. German researchers compared hip osteoarthritis and replacement patients either participating in a 12-week Hip School or in a non-exercising control group. Participants were tested before and after the 3-month program using an oscillating platform (Posturomed) to measure their static and dynamic balance. The Posturomed quantified the participant’s center of pressure excursion and balance recovery after platform perturbation. The training group had significantly lower percentage of failures and movement to maintain their balance, particularly in the medial-lateral direction.

The authors concluded that the 12-week Hip School exercise program using Thera-Band Stability Trainers was effective at improving dynamic balance in older hip patients compared to a control group of hip patients. In particular, exercise participants improved their reaction to perturbation, which is a primary cause of falls. The improvement in medial-lateral stabilization may help reduce lateral falls leading to hip fracture, but more research is needed. The Hip School book is available here.

Reference: Boeer J et al. 2010. Effects of a sensory-motor exercise program for older adults with osteoarthritis or prosthesis of the hip using measurements made by the Posturomed oscillatory platform. J Geriatric Phys Ther. 33(1):10-15.