FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY

WHAT IS FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY?

FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY, Making Therapy Fun - Every Day!

MOST TEACHERS AND care staff, who provide Rebound Therapy, know of the benefits and would like to be able to provide it on a daily basis.

CURRENTLY, A COMMON issue for many special needs schools and centres is that they can only provide Rebound Therapy sessions once or twice a week due to their number of students and only having one or two full sized trampolines. And during holiday times, sessions stop altogether. Some schools and centres are not able to provide Rebound Therapy at all because they do not have the budget or space for a full sized trampoline.

FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY is the solution to this dilemma. ReboundTherapy.org who are the UK based worldwide federation and consultancy for Rebound Therapy, have developed a programme of use and development, using an orthopaedic quality rebounder so that students and service users can benefit from fun therapy in any convenient space at school between their weekly Rebound Therapy sessions, and at home in the evenings, at weekends and during holidays.

FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY can provide many of the huge numbers of benefits of Rebound Therapy, for children and adults across virtually the whole spectrum of disabilities and additional needs.

BENEFITS INCLUDE the development and improvement of: Strength of limbs, Numeracy, Patience, Communication, Muscle tone, Eye contact, Relaxation, Trust and confidence in Teacher/Carer, Colour recognition, Height and depth perception. And, most importantly; FUN AND ENJOYMENT.

To provide Flexi-Bounce Therapy for home use you will find all the resources you need ON THIS PAGE

"WHAT IS FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY?"

Video with introduction and overview of exercises

Full package of downloadable resources are further down the page

FOR FULL INFORMATION on the benefits of Rebound Therapy; many of which apply to Flexi-Bounce Therapy, please click here.

REBOUNDTHERAPY.ORG HAVE developed an exercise and activity programme, together with video examples to enable Flexi-Bounce Therapy to be provided by parents and carers at home.

THE PROGRAMME ENABLES the parent or carer to provide a structured exercise and activity programme that teaches logical progressions of movement patterns, designed to encourage the student to continually develop, whilst at the same time experiencing healthy exercise and enjoyment.

PARENTS AND CARERS of ambulant students are advised to work progressively through the graded development plans.

PARENTS AND CARERS of students with more complex needs are advised to liaise with the student's physiotherapist or occupational therapist to develop exercises that complement the existing physio programme.

THE HUDDERSFIELD FUNCTIONAL INDEX for Flexi-Bounce Therapy breaks all the exercises from the graded development plan down into five levels from 0 to 4. This enables the parent and carer to accurately measure and record progress and provide evidence of outcomes. The HFI can be used for virtually all students regardless of ability if desired.

FOR INFORMATION ON ORTHOPAEDIC QUALITY REBOUNDERS for Flexi-Bounce Therapy for home, professional, school / centre use and for information on the certificated training course for Flexi-Bounce Therapy, please visit: www.Flexi-BounceTherapy.org.

THE BUTTON BELOW will take you to the resources to enable you to provide Flexi-Bounce Therapy for home use.
Development programme, video tutorials and methods of measuring and recording progress and providing evidence of outcomes are all available to you.


Before you begin, please study all documents on risk assessments and safe practice. Please liaise with your child's or student's physiotherapist if necessary.

Have Fun!


Click on the button below to access the development programme, video demonstrations and other downloadable resources ↓

Flexi-Bounce Therapy for home use - Essential reading, Development Programmes and Video tutorials

01) Risk assessments and specific programmes
Contra-indications.pdf Example 1 Pupil assessment and programme.pdf Example 2 Pupil assessment and programme.pdf Medical questionnaire and consent form.pdf individual risk assessment example.pdf
02) Benefits
The benefits of using Flexi-bounce Therapy for people with special needs.pdf
03) Contra-indications
AAI - Parents & Carers - dsa-medical-series-3.pdf AAI - dsa paper.pdf AAI screening advice.pdf AAI_in_DownsSyndrome.pdf Advice regarding Dwarfism.pdf LIST OF CONTRA-INDICATIONS.pdf cervical_spine_instability_guidelines.pdf
04) Safe Practice
Code of Practice, Ethics & Welfare.pdf Example H&S policy for Flexi-Bounce Therapy.pdf
05) Disabilities information
Knowledge of disabilities.doc
06) Development and award programme
Flexi-Bounce Grade 1.pdf Flexi-Bounce Grade 2.pdf Flexi-Bounce Grade 3.pdf
07) Measuring and recording progress - The HFI
HFI for Flexi-Bounce Therapy.pdf VIDEO TUTORIAL.docx
08) Exercises Categorised with Video Examples
1) Ideas for Physical impairment.docx 2) Communication and Teaching.docx 3) Normalising tone.docx 4) Co-ordination and fitness.docx 5) Memory and Brain stimulation.docx
Flexi-Bounce example
There is a certificated online training course available for those who would like to become validated as a Flexi-Bounce Therapy practitioner.
Please click here for full details


now let us examine the trampoline and its properties in more detail:

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE TRAMPOLINE / REBOUNDER

1) UNIQUE THREE-FOLD effect on body organs, systems and muscles.

  • A) WEIGHT INCREASES AND decreases to the point of weightlessness.
  • B) THERE IS ACCELERATION from stillness to varying speeds.
  • C) THERE IS DECELERATION from varying speeds to stillness.

2) STORAGE OF POTENTIAL energy - as the trampolne bed is under tension with springs it is a potential energy source.

3) OUTPUT OF ENERGY - this varies according to the energy put in; the bed stores the input energy unto output. As in Newton's 3rd Law of Motion. 'for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'.

4) POTENTIAL FOR LIFTING a body into space - as a result of item (2), the trampoline bed, when energised, has the potential for lifting a body into space. The amount of energy required will relate to the weight of the body to be lifted.

5) POTENTIAL FOR INITIATING movement in a body from a distance - the input of energy can be at any point yet still produce output throughout the trampoline bed. However, that output is most effective from the centre of the trampoline bed. The technique of 'popping' uses this property to initiate control and movement.

6) UNSTABLE SURFACE - the surface, which is elasticated and under spring tension, is unstable and movement on it acts to energise the bed. Output from this movement causes the bed to offer an active base upon which movement occurs.

7) DAMPING - this is the absorption of the energy of the bed by the body. It is achieved by taking up some of the energy of the bed through flexed hips and knees.

8) VARIABLE SURFACE - the surface is changeable and can be deliberately arranged to enhance symmetry and to promote symmetrical weight-bearing, thus encouraging balance.

Physiological Effects

CARDIO-RESPIRATORY

THERE IS A HIGH demand on muscles to deal with the increased gravity produced on deceleration and in the control of movement required when gravity is in effect reduced, as in acceleration, causing an increase in the respiratory rate and subsequently the heart rate. As a direct consequence there is an upturn in venous and lymphatic drainage. The constant muscle work required to maintain position and balance increases the demand for oxygen.

MUSCLE TONE

IN SIMPLISTIC TERMS, trampolining generally causes an increase in postural muscle tone, simple to prevent falling over. In Rebound Therapy, the effect on muscle tone hypertonia or hypotonia is variable. Low amplitive bouncing in general causes a reducing effect on hypertonia by bombarding the muscle spindle in much the same way as shaking causes a decrease in muscle tone. High amplitude bouncing can cause an increase in tone by stimulating the stretch receptors. The two properties can be used therefore to increase or decrease tone where required. The effect of the rebound activity on muscle tone can easily be observed in people with spasticity, either hemiplegic or athetoid, or by effect on ataxia where tone can be seen to undergo change.

POSTURAL MECHANISM

STIMULATING BY BOMBARDING the sensory systems through joints, muscle and skin can improve the output to the important postural muscles.

BALANCE MECHANISM

IN CREATING A dynamic movement situation, so challenging balance mechanisms, observable improvement can be achieved. This is particularly relevant when working with adults where a dynamic balance situation is difficult to create in lying, sitting or kneeling.

KINAESTHETIC AWARENESS

BY THE MULTIPLE stimulation of joints, pressure stretch receptors, skin, muscles etc., kinaesthetic awareness is improved, leading to improved body image and spatial awareness.

Therapeutic Effects

ON MOVEMENT

MOVEMENT CAN BE facilitated at different stages of the bounce. The most active movement takes place at the top of the bounce where acceleration of the body equals the downthrust of gravity to allow a momentary "gravity-free" zone. A tiny body movement can produce a large effect with correctly applied bounce. Momentum and rhythm can be added to movement to help teach new movement skills and energise movement. Balance and equilibrium reactions can be achieved through stimulation of postural mechanisms; by creating a dynamic movement situation, protective and saving reactions can be developed. The anticipation of movement occurs because of the effects of timing, rhythm and momentum. An inhibiting or stimulating effect on muscle tone enables active movement to take place. By using good positioning and low amplitude bouncing, good relaxation is easily obtained.

ON PERCEPTION

BODY IMAGE, BODY part awareness and positional sense are enhanced through tactile and joint sensation. Increased perception of body image, spatial awareness combined with rhythm, and movement itself, greatly develop co-ordination. The experience of movement into space with the return to stability, while remaining in control, provides an enriched learning experience, for the motor-impaired person.

COMMUNICATION

DUE TO CARDIO-RESPIRATORY effects, vocalisation is increased - with exclamations and gasps. Eye contact and concentration are enhanced by the "focus effect".

SUMMARY

• It is fun
• Gives confidence in movement
• Is usually achievable (good target/goal setting)
• Develops fitness
• Gives general confidence and a feeling of well being


CERTIFICATED TRAINING COURSE IN FLEXI-BOUNCE THERAPY AVAILABLE

THERE IS A CERTIFICATED online training course in Flexi-Bounce Therapy. Please click here for information.

If you are looking for suppliers of quality orthopaedic rebounders suitable for Flexi-Bounce Therapy, please visit: www.Flexi-BounceTherapy.org