Date of Graduation

5-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education in Recreation and Sport Management (MEd)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Health, Human Performance and Recreation

Advisor/Mentor

Steve Dittmore

Committee Member

Brendon McDermott

Second Committee Member

Terry Eddy

Keywords

Health and environmental sciences, Athletes, Elbow, Floss bands, Range of motion, Tennis

Abstract

Floss bands have been used to improve ROM, restore joint mechanics, and break down adhesive tissue from previously injured musculature, however, there is limited research available and the few research studies have mixed results on the usefulness of floss bands. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of floss bands in increasing elbow range of motion (ROM) in tennis players. Twelve elite tennis players (6 female and 6 male) participated in this randomized crossover design study. Subjects attended two separate sessions. Passive ROM measures were taken with a standard goniometer for elbow flexion and extension and forearm pronation and supination. For each session baseline ROM was initially taken. Subjects went into a separate room to have the intervention applied (floss band or no band) to ensure the author was blind to eliminate bias. After the intervention was applied ROM was re-measured. On their second visit, participants received the intervention that was not previously applied. A paired sample t-test revealed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between floss band and no band for all measures. This study is the first to investigate the use of floss bands to improve elbow ROM in elite level tennis players. The results show that floss bands are do not significantly improve elbow ROM compared to other treatment methods.

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