|
| Exercise Calf Stretch purpose: To stretch the Achilles Tendon, calf muscle, and back of the leg (hamstring) and to prevent strain. position: Stand at arm's length from the barre with the body inclined forward. Extend the leg to be stretched backward with the foot flat on the floor, toes pointing straight ahead. The front leg should be bent and the back leg straight. execution: 1) Allow the body to fall forward slowly, keeping the foot flat at all times. To stretch the soleus muscle, slide back foot in slightly, bend both knees and allow the body to fall forward. 2) Hold for a few seconds and repeat on each leg. Hamstring Stretch purpose: To stretch the hamstring muscle group and the upper attachment ot of the calf muscle. position: 1) Assume the long sitting position (sitting with legs extended out in front of you), bend forward from the waist and reach as far forward as possible with your hands. 2) First, stretch with your toes pointed (plantar flexion), placing emphasis on the hamstring muscle group. Then, with the foot pulled back as far as possible (dorsiflexion), emphasize stretching the upper attatchment of the calf muscle. Remember to stretch only to the point of mild discomfort. This should not hurt. 3) Hold for about thirty seconds, then repeat two or three times. variation: Stretch as above but progressively widen the distance between your legs. Stork Stretch purpose: To stretch the quadriceps muscle group, specifically the rectus femoris muscle, which, besides helping to extend the lower leg, acts as a hip flexor, and the iliopsoas muscle, a primary hip flexor; also assists in remediation of lumbar lordosis. position: Standing in good postural alignment, bend your lower leg and grasp your ankle with the hand on the same side, the other hand resting on the barre. execution: Keeping your thigh in the same alignment as your supporting leg, pull the heel of your foot toward the buttocks and then pull your upper leg backward as far as (comfortably) possible without overly arching your lower back. CAUTION: To avoid placing stress on the lower back, the body must always be maintained in good alignment without arching the lower back. Things to remember, never put weight on the leg you are stretching, Don't stretch those knee ligaments. Don't stretch those knee tendons. Stretch the thigh muscles only. Deadly position for your knees: Sitting with your rump flat on the floor, legs bent at the knees and inverted (the thighs are rotated inward 90 degrees to that the inside of the thigh, knee and ankle are resting on the ground). Don't sit like this! It is terrible for your knees, even if it is comfortable. It stretches knee ligaments and tendons, which is exactly what you don't want to do. Remember that form is crucial when stretching. You can go from flexibility to injury simply by arching your back. Stay focused while stretching I did go off the tramp just a little bit, sometimes varying 1 leg at a time but unless your legs are really strong and the muscles very warmed up and used to alot of exercise and dance, don't do it. |
| PASSIVE RANGE OF MOTION EXERCISES What are passive range of motion exercises? Range of motion exercises are also called "ROM" exercises. ROM exercises may be active or passive. Active ROM is done when a person can do the exercises by himself. Active-assisted ROM exercises are done by the person and a helper. Passive ROM exercises are done for a person by a helper. The helper does the ROM exercises because the person cannot do them by himself. Do not do passive ROM exercises on a person without first talking to the person's caregiver. Together you can decide what exercise plan is best for the person. Why is it important to do passive ROM exercises? ROM exercises are very important if you have to stay in bed or in a wheelchair. ROM exercises help keep your joints and muscles as healthy as possible. Without these exercises, blood flow and flexibility (moving and bending) of your joints can decrease. Joints, such as your knees and elbows, could become stiff and locked without ROM exercises. Passive ROM exercises help keep joint areas flexible, but do not build up muscles or make them stronger. How do I get started? Raise the bed to a height that is comfortable. This will help keep you from hurting your back or other muscles. Make sure the wheels of the bed or wheelchair are locked before you start the exercises. Do all ROM exercises smoothly and gently. Never force, jerk, or over-stretch a muscle. This can hurt the muscle or joint instead of helping. Move the joint slowly. This is especially important if muscle spasms (tightening). Move the joint only to the point of resistance. This is the point where you cannot bend the joint any further. Put slow, steady pressure on the joint until the muscle relaxes. Stop ROM exercises if there is pain. Ask the person to tell you right away if he feels any pain. Watch for signs of pain if the person is unable to talk. The exercises should never cause pain or go beyond the normal movement of that joint. Make ROM exercises a part of the daily routine. Do ROM exercises at the same time every day. Do them while bathing the person or while the person watches TV. This will make the time go faster and help the person relax more. You may want to break the exercise program into 2 or 3 sessions. You can then do the sessions at different times of the day instead of doing them all at once. Head and Neck exercises: Lay on back with head as flat (no pillow) as possible. Support the back of the person's head with one of your hands. Support the chin with your other hand. Chin-to-chest. Raise the back of the head up from the bed. Gently tip chin toward chest. Try to rest chin on chest if possible. Head turns. Turn head toward the right as if you were looking over your right shoulder. Then slowly turn the person's head so he is looking over his left shoulder. Turn the head only far enough so that the person's nose is lined up above their shoulder. Head tilts. Put one of your hands on each side of the person's face. Tilt the head to the side, bringing the right ear toward the right shoulder. Then slowly tilt the person's head to bring the left ear toward the left shoulder. Shoulder and Elbow exercises: Shoulder movement, side to side. Raise the right arm out to the side to shoulder level. Raise it upward over the person's head as far as possible. Bring the arm back down to his side and then swing across the body toward the left shoulder. Swing the arm back down to his side. Shoulder rotation; Bring the right arm out to the side. Bend the elbow so the thumb and fingers are pointing up. Rotate (turn) the arm so the thumb and fingers point down toward the person's toes. Elbow bends, up and down. With the right arm at side, turn the palm hand face up. Bend the arm at the elbow so that the fingers are pointing toward the ceiling. If possible, continue bending the elbow and touch the hand (fingertips) to the front of the right shoulder. Move the hand back down to the side. Elbow bends, side to side. Hold the right arm out at shoulder level with the palm facing up. Bend the elbow. Try to make the fingertips touch the top of right shoulder. Repeat the above exercises with the left arm. Forearm and Wrist exercises: Palm up, palm down. Keep elbow and forearm on the bed and raise hand. Gently twist it so palm is up. Then twist it so palm is down. Repeat the above exercises with the left arm. Hand and Finger exercises: Finger bends. Place your hand on the back of the person's fingers. Gently bend his hand into a fist. Straighten the fingers again. Finger spreads. Gently straighten out fingers. Spread the fingers wide apart, one at a time. Then bring the fingers back together. Finger-to-thumb touches. One at a time, bring each fingertip to touch the thumb. Thumb-to-palm. Move the person's thumb across his palm. Bring it back out again. Thumb circles. Use the thumb to make wide circles. Repeat the above exercises with the left thumb and fingers. Hip and Knee and leg exercises Hip and knee bends. Slowly bend the hip and knee up toward the chest as much as possible. Slide your hand out from under the knee and toward the upper thigh (leg). Do this to help the knee bend completely. Leg movement, side to side. Move the right leg out to the right side as far as possible. Then return the leg to the middle and cross it over the left leg. Leg rotation, in and out. With the leg flat on the bed, roll the leg toward the middle so the big toe touches the bed. Roll the leg outward so the little toe touches the bed. Knee rotation, in and out. Bend the person's knee so the bottom of the right foot is flat on the bed. Roll the leg inward as far as possible. Try to touch the bed with the big toe. Roll the leg outward as far as possible. Try to touch the bed with the small toe. Repeat the above exercises with the left leg. Ankle and Foot exercises: How to start: Hold the right ankle with one hand. Put your other hand on the bottom of the foot. Ankle bends. Push the person's foot so his toes point up toward the ceiling. Then put your hand on top of the foot and push the foot down again. Ankle rotation. Hold the ankle with one hand. Hold the person's upper foot with your other hand. Gently turn the foot and ankle in circles. Toe bends. With your palm on top of the person's foot, curl the toes down toward the sole (bottom) of the foot. Then straighten and stretch the toes. Toe spreads. Use your fingers to spread the toes apart one at a time. Then bring them together again. Repeat the above exercises with the left ankle and foot. |
| LYMPHLAND |
