Alexey Paevsky
May 18, 2012
Nowadays everyone has a hobby. Well, or it should be. My hobby is old books. Recently there was an addition to my home library. I found the “Book of Health Edited by Russian Clinicians”
— supplement to the magazine “Around the World” for 1906.
This is a fairly thick volume of 520 pages, which can be called an analogue of the Takzdorovo.Ru website from a century ago. It talks about the human body and how to stay healthy. Of course, just like on our website, this book also has a section with exercises. True, the Lumiere brothers did not make videos about health, so the collection is decorated with illustrations. It is interesting that all the exercises presented are quite appropriate now
. I suggest you look at how our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers did gymnastics, and try to perform these exercises yourself. Let's start with gymnastics for the arms.
Exercise "eight"
The first exercise is designed to develop the hands and wrists. It's called the figure-of-eight movement of the hand. We spread our arms to the sides and use our hands to describe figure eights lying on our sides in the air. First in one direction, then in the opposite direction. Despite the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century there were no personal computers or mobile phones, this exercise is very useful for office workers
. Such movements are an excellent prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Authors and compilers: Antonov N.V. – senior methodologist; Bogryashov A. A., Danilina N. A. – methodologists
Methodological recommendations for strengthening the hands and fingers (including using an electronic wrist expander) in physical education lessons
Explanatory note
Methodological recommendations have been developed to help physical education teachers and additional education teachers of educational organizations in Moscow to organize a physical education lesson using exercises to strengthen the hands and fingers. Methodological recommendations will contribute to the prevention of childhood injuries and the prevention of injuries in physical education lessons.
An analysis of the causes of injury to students in physical education lessons shows that the most common injuries are bruises, sprains of the joints connecting the phalanges of the fingers, fractures and dislocations of the fingers.
Using exercises will help prevent damage to the ligaments and muscles of the hands.
The main content of performing exercises to strengthen the hands and fingers
Exercises that help strengthen the fingers and hands can be divided into exercises with objects (exercises with balls, gymnastic sticks, electronic wrist expanders, gyroscopic simulator) and exercises with your own body weight (exercises with hangs and supports).
I. Exercises with objects
Before starting the exercises, you must first do a general warm-up, warm up the muscles of the arms and shoulder girdle, massage and rub your hands and fingers.
Exercises with an electronic wrist expander:
1. Squeezing the expander with a grip with the handles down until the expander is completely closed (the handles touch). Perform 6–8 times with your right and left hands.
2. Squeeze the expander with a grip with the handles up until the expander is completely closed. Perform 6–8 times with your right and left hands.
3. Hold the compressed expander with a grip with the handles up on a straightened arm. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds with right and left hands.
4. Hold the compressed expander with a grip with the handles down on a straightened arm. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds with right and left hands.
5. Squeezing the expander with three fingers: thumb, index and middle. Perform 6–8 times with your right and left hands.
6. Grip with the handles down on a straightened arm, holding the band with the load suspended on it with the compressed handles of the expander. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds with right and left hands.
Exercises with a gyroscopic trainer:
A gyroscopic exercise machine is a hand exercise machine that uses the exerciser’s own strength. The principle of operation of a gyroscopic simulator is that when a constant external force is applied to the gyroscope, it begins to turn around an axis that does not coincide in direction with the main axis. The direction of rotation does not coincide with the direction of application of the external force. The magnitude of precession is directly proportional to the size of the external applied force. If you stop the external influence, the precession process will also end instantly, but the rotor will continue to rotate.
The dimensions of the simulator are small, it has a spherical shape. An adult can easily wrap his palm around it and hold it with one hand.
The housing contains a gyroscope device; it has a hole that provides access to the rotor during the initial spin-up of the simulator. In models of simulators in which there is no such access to the rotor, there are special small holes designed so that a plastic starter (a thin strip with teeth) can be passed through them. It spins the rotor by means of a rack and pinion transmission.
1. Starting position – hold the machine in an outstretched arm with an overhand grip. Circular movements with the brush to the right, left, “in a figure eight”. Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
2. I. p. – hold the simulator in an outstretched arm with an underhand grip. Circular movements with the brush to the right, left, “in a figure eight”. Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
3. I. p. – hold the machine in the arm bent in front of the chest, with an overhand grip. Circular movements of the hand and forearm to the right, left, “in a figure eight.” Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
4. I. p. – hold the machine in the arm bent in front of the chest with an underhand grip. Circular movements of the hand and forearm to the right, left, “in a figure eight.” Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
5. I. p. – hold the simulator with your fingertips in an outstretched arm with an overhand grip. Circular movements with the brush to the right, left, “in a figure eight”. Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
6. I. p. – hold the simulator with your fingertips in an outstretched arm with an underhand grip. Circular movements with the brush to the right, left, “in a figure eight”. Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
7. I. p. – hold the simulator with three fingers: thumb, index and middle grip from below. Circular movements of the hand and forearm to the right, left, “in a figure eight.” Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
8. I. p. – hold the simulator with three fingers: thumb, little finger and ring grip from below. Circular movements of the hand and forearm to the right, left, “in a figure eight.” Execution time: 1–2 minutes. in each direction with the right and left hand.
Exercises with balls:
1. Squeezing a tennis ball with your fingers, two fingers (thumb and index), three fingers (thumb, index and middle), each finger separately. Perform 10–15 times each way.
2. Throwing and catching a medicine ball with two and one hands (the weight of medicine balls varies from 1 to 5 kg). Perform 10–15 times each way.
3. Lifting and holding a medicine ball weighing 1 kg with one hand. Squeeze the ball with your fingertips using an overhand grip. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds.
4. Lifting and holding a medicine ball weighing 3 and 5 kg with both hands. Squeeze the ball with your fingertips using an overhand grip. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds.
Exercises with a gymnastic stick:
1. Take a gymnastics stick in the middle. Rotate the gymnastic stick to the right and left with your fingers. Perform 10–15 times with the right and left hands.
2. Take the gymnastics stick in the middle. Turn the hand left and right. Perform 10–15 times with the right and left hands.
3. Take the gymnastics stick by the end. Circular movements in a figure eight in front of you. Perform 10–15 times with the right and left hands.
4. Take the gymnastics stick by the end. Hold the gymnastic stick in an outstretched hand, the end of the stick is directed to the side. The exercise time is 30–45 seconds.
5. Take the gymnastic stick by the end, the free end of the stick is lowered down, the thumb is pointing up. Rotate the stick until the free end of the stick is raised up. The thumb is pointing down. Perform 10–15 times with the right and left hands.
II. Exercises with your own body weight
Hanging exercises:
1. Hanging on the bar on your fingers (on four fingers, on three, on two and on one finger). Exercise time: 15–30 seconds. To make the exercise easier, you can use hanging while lying on a low bar.
2. Hanging on a bar with a larger diameter (wrap the bar with fabric to increase the diameter or use special rubber pads). Exercise time: 15–30 seconds. To make the exercise easier, you can use hanging while lying on a low bar.
3. Hanging on a climbing rope: hanging on two hands, hanging on one hand, hanging with a regular and reverse grip. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds.
4. Climbing a rope without using your legs. Perform 3-4 times.
5. Hanging on a fingerboard for training climbers: on four fingers, on three, on two and on one finger, on two and on one hand. Exercise time: 15–30 seconds. To make the exercise easier, you can use a lying down hang.
Standing exercises:
1. Support lying on the tips of your fingers: on five fingers, on four, on three, on two, on two and on one hand. Fold your fingers so that they form a wide bowl.
Exercise time: 15–30 seconds. To make the exercise easier, you can use an emphasis on a bench.
2. Bending and extension of the arms while lying down (“push-ups”) on the tips of the fingers: on five fingers, on four, on three, on two, on two and on one hand. Perform 10–15 times.
3. Standing facing the wall at a distance of 1–1.5 m, push off the wall with your fingers. Perform 10–15 times.
The developed exercises are recommended to be used in the main part of a physical education lesson to develop physical qualities. The time spent doing the exercises should not exceed 10 minutes. When performing exercises, safety precautions must be observed.
Recommended reading
1. Volleyball: a textbook for higher educational institutions of physical culture / Edited by A. V. Belyaev, M. V. Savin. - M.: Physical culture, education, science, 2000. - 368 p., ill.
2. Kholodov Zh.K., Kuznetsov VS Theory and methodology of physical education and sports: textbook. aid for students higher textbook establishments. – M.: Publishing House, 2000. – 480 p.
"Satisfied" exercise
Place your palms together at shoulder level. Now quickly rub your hands together, pressing one palm against the other as tightly as possible. This exercise perfectly strengthens almost all the muscles of the arms, especially the flexor muscles, as well as the anterior pectoral muscles. The publication reports that the exercise gives good results when the muscles in question are partially paralyzed (apparently a common problem in the 1900s), as well as when you need to quickly warm up cold hands.
The benefits of gymnastics
Arthrosis in the hands occurs due to a lack of collagen protein, which forms cartilage tissue. This process occurs due to a failure in the synthesis of protein molecules or a disruption in the combination of structural units into a single fiber. Pathology occurs due to certain health problems:
- the period of aging, during which hormones are rearranged;
- inflammation and endocrine diseases that cause disturbances in biological reactions;
- lack of useful microelements and vitamins;
- defects at the genetic level.
More often, arthrosis of the hands appears in women; the first symptoms may appear during menopause. Due to a lack of vitamins, cartilage tissue does not resist stress, the joints become thinner and wear out. As a result, the muscles become tense and swelling appears. As the disease progresses, gradual atrophy of soft tissue occurs. It is difficult for the patient to move his hands, the phalanges of the fingers are deformed, and nodules appear on the joints. The progressive disease causes pain and burning sensations.
For arthrosis, it is necessary to perform gymnastics for the fingers for several reasons:
- training distracts from pain and eliminates joint discomfort;
- you need to fight stiffness; undeveloped phalanges will stop bending over time;
- exercises saturate tissues with oxygen and stimulate the production of joint fluid;
- inflammation and swelling disappear;
- The elasticity of the cartilage develops, the tendons become stronger.
The disease is especially dangerous for people in creative professions - seamstresses, artists, writers or beauty salon workers, as well as for those who constantly work at the computer.
One two Three…
Now a slightly more complex and amplitude exercise. It is performed in six stages. On the count of “one” we lower our hands down, on the count of “two” - from this position, bending our arms at the elbow, we reach our fingers to our shoulders. On the count of “three,” we spread our arms to the sides, on the count of “four,” we reach out to the shoulders, leaving the forearms apart. On the count of “five” we raise our hands up, on the count of “six” we again touch our shoulders with our fingers. You need to keep your back straight during this exercise.
WE MAKE EXERCISES
To teach a child to use a brush and make movements with his fingers, parents will have to try and be patient, because not everything will work out the first time. To prevent your baby from losing interest, it is important to offer him a variety of exercises. Therefore, moms and dads will have to create exercise equipment with their own hands. There are many options.
The bird is made like this:
- take a cardboard box (for example, pizza, candy).
- an image of a bird is applied to it, preferably large in size (the bird can be pasted on or drawn);
- A hole is made in the cardboard near the beak.
The baby’s task is to lower one grain into the hole (to feed the bird).
In a similar way, you can feed the worm peas.
A simulator with bands can be done like this:
- several satin ribbons are attached to a vertical surface (you can sew them to a special rug, which you hang on the wall so that the baby can easily reach it);
- A small wooden stick is glued to the other side of each ribbon (you can use a popsicle stick).
The child’s task is to try to twist the ribbon.
Children are also very fond of homemade lacing, exercises with which contribute to the formation of a very important skill - lacing shoes.
You can make an interesting activity yourself from felt - cut out a hedgehog figurine and fruit, inviting your child to place the “prey” on the hedgehog’s spines.
You can purchase special educational toys in the store - construction sets, mosaics, puzzles, pyramids, and a magic basket.
Exercise "sawyer"
The next exercise is also unusual for a modern person. Nowadays, few people use wood for heating, and in those years there was even a special profession - a wood cutter. Let's get started. We bend the torso forward, one arm is pulled up to the armpit, the other is straightened forward and down. We change the position of our hands: with one hand we seem to be pulling something towards ourselves, with the other we are pushing away. During this exercise, all the muscles of the arms, shoulders and back work comprehensively.
Treatment methods
Joint ailments without inflammatory processes require treatment. It is necessary to remove unpleasant symptoms and slow down dystrophic and degenerative processes. With the help of non-steroidal drugs, patients get rid of pain and inflammation. But treatment is not limited to the use of ointments and medications. Doctors prescribe non-drug procedures:
- hand baths;
- physiotherapy;
- periodic massage;
- daily exercises for joint mobility.
The patient must adhere to a special diet. You can also use traditional medicine. Previously, for arthrosis, compresses from cabbage leaves, sea salt or honey were applied. Before carrying out any procedure, you need to relieve inflammation; with the third degree of arthrosis, you should not engage in physical therapy.
Additionally, you need to develop fine motor skills of your hands. This is facilitated by classes in appliqué, modeling, knitting and embroidery, playing the guitar and other musical instruments. They also use a special massage technique - percussion.
During this procedure, you need to gently hit the master’s palm, which is on the patient’s hand. The limbs need to be fixed on the surface; usually the massage therapist places the hands on his knees. If the joints are already stronger, then you can strike lightly with your fist or the edge of your palm. The procedure is repeated every 3-4 days.
Exercise "mower"
To complete this complex there is another “retro movement”.
Imagine that you have a scythe in your hands and swing this tool. The torso should be motionless. The exercise can be performed either standing still or while moving. I’ll add on my own that when I had the opportunity to work with a real scythe, the next day I learned that I had many muscles that I didn’t even know existed. Working with a scythe is a very challenging and useful exercise that allows you to work the deep muscles of the spine. And finally – about pleasant things. The exercise section of the “Book of Health” is not limited to these six numbers. This means there are new old exercises ahead. Tags:
- Story
- Exercises
Warm-up
Fingers, like other parts of the body, can be injured and need to be warmed up and prepared for training.
- Clench and unclench your fists for a few seconds
- Extend your arms in front of you. Try to spread your straightened fingers as far apart as possible. Then press your fingers as close as possible to each other. This exercise will bring you closer to gaining the ability to pick up the ball.
- Rotate your hands in your fists
General methods of rehabilitation
Treatment and rehabilitation depend on the prevailing symptoms, characteristics of the injury, and the presence of complications. According to statistics, a fracture of the radius most often occurs in a typical area - in the area close to the wrist. This injury usually occurs when a fall hits the back of the hand.
A fracture necessarily requires immobilization, and in some cases, surgical treatment: in case of open damage, mixing of fragments, or development of an infectious process. At the same time, drug therapy with painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, chondroprotectors, and calcium supplements is prescribed. In case of tendon and muscle ruptures, surgical intervention and the application of a fixation splint are also necessary.
Exercise therapy and massage usually begin on the third day of injury with breathing, ideomotor and isometric techniques. Active activities are possible after 2 weeks.
Contraindications to exercise therapy for joint injury are:
- State of shock;
- Excessive blood loss;
- Risk of damage to a vessel or nerve trunk;
- Intense pain;
- Infectious complications;
- Severe diseases of internal organs.
Massage after injury
Massage improves blood and lymph circulation in the area of damage, while activating metabolism, stimulating nerve endings and accelerating tissue regeneration. The procedure is usually prescribed in the first days of treatment before exercise therapy to prepare the muscles for stress.
Massage and self-massage includes the following techniques:
- Stroking. Performed with light movements, without pressure, from the periphery to the center.
- Trituration. This is a more active effect, in which the upper layers of the skin are shifted in different directions.
- Kneading. They mainly knead the muscles of the palm, as well as the area around the elbow and shoulder joints.
- Vibration. The masseur imitates vibration movements with fingers collected in a pinch.
- Squeezing. Intense pressure on the palmar surface of the hand. Done with caution.
Therapeutic exercises are important not only for rehabilitation after injury, but also for the wrist joint affected by arthrosis. Rehabilitation treatment, if necessary, should combine surgical correction, immobilization, medication support, exercise therapy, massage and physiotherapy. Only with an integrated approach will it be possible to achieve the desired result.