Contributor Steve Horney Quoted on the Health Benefits of Hula Hooping

It’s our mission here at the PT Project to stay on top of current news in PT – and this weekend we are bringing you a major breakthrough.  Apparently hula hooping is this summer’s fitness craze (clarification to our international readers, in the US there is always a fitness craze of some sort).  Steve Horney, PT @ NY SportsMed, appeared in aclip on Channel 11, a CBS affiliate in Little Rock, AK talking about a report by the American Council on Exercise which found that hula hooping improves cardiovascular health, muscle tone, and flexibility and if you can keep the hoop going for an hour, you can burn an average of 420 calories.

Steve said, “It’s very important to find as many ways as we can find to exercise because there is a strong correlation between interest and enjoyment and actual commitment to an exercise program.” Steve continued, “It was nice to see it did elicit a burn that was similar to many common exercise routines.”

Will we see hula hoops in the clinic?  Are there any counter points to hula hooping?  What injuries might the incessant twirling of hips cause?