Yoga as Therapeutic Exercise: A Practical Guide for Manual Therapists

6

Chapter

The basic exercises

6. Basic exercises for elbows, wrists, and hands 6. Basic exercises for elbows, wrists, and hands


7. Basic exercises for elbows, wrists, and hands 6. Basic exercises for elbows, wrists, and hands


8. Basic exercises for elbows, wrists,
   and hands

The elbow and wrist are closely connected in terms

of both joint mechanics and soft-tissue structures.

The elbow joint is an ingenious construction which

works as a hinge yet also gives rotational mobility.

It consists of three joints. The articulations

between the humerus and ulna and the humerus

and radius make flexion and extension possible.

The articulation between the radius and ulna

makes supination and pronation possible; it is a

rotation of the radius within the annular ligament.

The shape of the bones meeting at the elbow joint

gives the elbow stability. The valgus is a frequent

deviation at the elbow joint. In general it is stron-

ger in females than in males. To stabilize it we rec-

ommend relaxing slightly from full extension or

using a belt around the elbows in weight-bearing

exercises. Both help to strengthen the flexor and

extensor muscles working on the elbow joint in a

balanced way.

“The wrist is an extremely delicate structure that

requires mobility and yet stability” (Hartman 2001,

p. 219). The carpal bones with all their articulations

allow a wide variety of hand movements and skills.

How many useful and beautiful things have been

made by human hands, how much can be expressed

by the hands, and how important the hands are for

communication and touching. Exercises for the

hands have been developed into a refined art in

Indian dancing.

The aim of the exercises in this chapter is to

maintain or improve the functions of the hands,

give them sufficient mobility, but also to learn to

use the muscles of the arms, hands, and fingers in

a balanced way. This is particularly important as

muscles do not stabilize the wrist: none of the 10

tendons around the wrist is attached to any of the

carpal bones. If a patient has fallen on the extended

wrist and has ongoing pain the wrist should be

investigated for a possible fracture of the carpal

bones.

The elbow, shoulder girdle, and cervical spine

should also be considered in problems with the

hands or wrists; problems with the elbow can also

be caused by the shoulder girdle or the cervical

spine.

Exercise 6.1: Shake hands

Aims: mobilizing and relaxing the wrist and hand.

1. Sit in an upright position on the floor or on a chair.


2. Bend your right elbow so that your right hand is
   in front of your abdomen.


3. Hold the right wrist with your left hand
   underneath (Figure 6.128) and shake the hand
   for 3–5 breaths in a natural rhythm; the right
   hand is completely passive.


4. Hold the little finger side of the right hand with
   your left hand (Figure 6.129) and shake the right

Figure 6.128

Figure 6.129