The effect of combined exercise with slings and a flexi-bar on muscle activity and pain in rotator cuff repair patients.

[Purpose] The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of combined exercise with slings and a Flexi-Bar on muscle activity and pain in rotator cuff repair patients. [Subjects and Methods] This research evaluated 20 rotator cuff repair patients divided randomly into groups of 10 as the control group and the experimental group. The experimental group performed combined exercise with slings and a Flexi-Bar. Both the experimental and control groups were treated with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator and continuous passive motion. Muscle activity was measured with surface electromyography. Pain was measured with the visual analogue scale. The paired t-test was used to compare groups before and after the experiment. The independent t-test was used to assess the differences in the degree of change between the two groups before and after the experiment. [Results] Subjects of both the experimental group and control group showed significant differences in muscle activity and pain. However, as compared with the control group, there was significant differences in the muscle activity and pain in the experimental group. [Conclusion] These results indicate that combined exercise with slings and a Flexi-Bar is effective in improving muscle activity and decreasing pain in rotator cuff repair patients.