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Exercise Bands

Here is an interesting study.....

Exercise bands are interesting pieces of equipment. They are used by physiotherapists in rehabilitation for injuries, as a piece of training equipment in their own right and also as a method of adding variable resistance to the power lifts - the further you pull the harder it gets.

This study caught my eye because I think I have experienced the phenomenon to which it refers.

Exercise with latex sport bands represents a risk for latex allergic patients.

Based on two clinical observations of adverse reactions during exercise with latex sport bands, we aimed to assess the possible risk for allergic patients posed by this equipment by investigating allergen content and IgE binding potential. Protein extracts of three different latex sport bands were characterized with sera of latex allergic patients. The IgE recognition profile of the allergic patients was identified by component resolved diagnosis and the allergen composition of the extracts was characterized by inhibition assays with the recombinant latex allergens Hev b 1, 3, 5, 6.02, and 8. The sera showed pronounced IgE binding to all three blotted extracts, however with diverse patterns. Inhibition assays revealed the presence of Hev b 1, 3, 5, and 8 in latex sport band extracts. The clinical relevance of contained allergens was demonstrated by strong skin reactions when testing with latex sport bands. From our results we conclude that latex sport bands contain clinically relevant allergens and may cause latex allergic individuals to experience allergic symptoms, potentially amplified by exercise-induced mechanisms. Even though latex is labeled on products, it is important that patients as well as athletic trainers and physical therapists recognize the risk of adverse reactions with these bands.

I have experienced a rash and swelling after handling rubber - balloons, elastic bands and exercise bands.... Be that as it may be....there is some solid science behind using bands and some practical accounts of how to do it.

Here are a couple of ways of using the bands:

To help your sprinting


or even to add explosiveness to your swings....

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