Hey,
Doesn't make me mad but, I have an explaination.  (I knew that NDT course
was going to come in handy).  According to Dynamic Systems Theory, you
gotsa move it or loose it.  And you have to move it under your own power.
So, does that mean stopping your passive range of motion to yourself no.
It makes a great warm up and if make sure to do some nerve and tendon
gliding exercises with it throughout the day helps to prevent Repetitive
Stress injuries.  As folks age, if your like the rest of us, you aren't
exercising as much or in the same ways as you did during all those days of
therapy.  Once you warm up the hand (and arm and shoulder) you can also do
some weight bearing exercises on both upper extremities (your arm, shoulder
and hand).  Try to work it into every day routines such as wiping up the
counters and table tops (won't your wife be proud).  Give a good prolonged
stretch and scrub those counter tops hard (need some to scrub come to my
house).  It's why get those little ones up on bolsters and balls and on all
fours.
Is that clear or was I just rambling on after another 11 hour day of
private practice?

Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html

----------
> From: Kyle E Cleveland <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Right Hemi
> Date: Monday, April 05, 1999 2:02 PM
>
> Okay, Trisha.  Elizabeth and all the others out there in O.T. and P.T.
> land are going to flame me, but all the stretching in the world never
> did a whole lot for my fine motor skills.  In fact, as I age, my wife
> Laura has noticed that I'm regressing more and more to that
> "lobster-claw" position with my left hand, especially when I'm tired or
> concentrating on a task that doesn't need the hand--and I still strech
> every day.  T
> Hope this helped.
>
> -Kyle