functional exercise: dorsal forearm stretch

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dorsal forearm stretch

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last update: 30.12.2018
Name: Dorsal forearm stretch
Level: A

Classification

classic: functional exercise
physiological: stretching of the finger extensors in particular

Contraindication

Effects

Preparation

No pre-exercises are given for this unidimensional functional exercise.

Follow-up

Derived asanas:

Similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

(411)(421) Dorsal flexors (extensors):

This exercise does not differentiate between finger extensors and dorsal flexors of the wrist. If it is not possible to press the back of the hand on the floor (or on a block, depending on body proportions) and extend the elbow joints with a maximally closed fist, the dorsiflexors of the wrist are more or less shortened, but more likely the extensors of the fingers. To a certain extent, it is normal that the back of the hand can be pressed more easily to the floor if the fist is not properly closed or the fingers are halfway bent. If the difference is too great – an exact measurement cannot be given – this indicates a significant shortening of the finger extensors. If the wrist cannot be bent at least 60° or 70° when the fingers are not clearly flexed, there is a significant shortening of the dorsiflexors of the wrist, which can result in a tendency for the same muscles to cramp in extensive dorsiflexion of the wrist. This pose also indicates a weakness of the finger flexors if they are unable to maintain fist closure.

(419) Wrist

In extensive palmar flexion and under a certain load, weaknesses of the wrists may become apparent:

  1. Ganglion, usually in the dorsal area between the hand and forearm, may also produce a sensation of pressure during palmar flexion of the wrist
  2. Tendinitis of the tendons of the palmar flexors or finger flexors
  3. Carpal tunnel syndrome: symptoms may worsen in this position
  4. Fractures and fractures of carpal bones, especially the scaphoid bone
  5. Arthrotic/osteoarthritic changes (degenerative with cartilage atrophy) of the joint
  6. Arthritis (joint inflammation) of various kinds
  7. Dislocation / subluxation, which would cause a significantly increased sensation of tension in various muscles covering the wrist
  8. Joint trauma, which may cause pain in the joint even after many weeks or months

but also purely muscular symptoms such as

  1. Shortening/hypertonus of the palmar flexors of the wrist and finger flexors, leading to a tendency for the same to cramp.
  2. Tennis elbow: stress-induced pain at the point of origin of muscles on the outer radial side of the forearm in the transition to the upper arm

Variants:

with open fist

Instructions

  1. Sit comfortably on your bottom, e.g. cross-legged.
  2. Close both fists tightly so that all finger joints and the metacarpophalangeal joints are bent to the maximum. The thumbs grip the fists firmly from the outside. If necessary, sit with a slight bend in the upper body or place the hand on an elevation.
  3. Press the fists against the pelvis from the outside, with the tendon of the middle finger on the back of the hand pointing 90° towards the pelvis.
  4. Press the backs of both hands towards the floor without opening the fist even a little bit.
  5. When the backs of the hands reach the floor, extend the elbow joints further.

Details

  1. This pose stretches the forearm muscles on the dorsal side of the forearm and the back of the hand. It is to be expected and is confirmed in practice without exception, albeit to varying degrees, that the finger extensors cause the greater restriction in this pose compared to the dorsiflexors of the wrist. This is easy to prove: open your fist and observe whether the forearm can be positioned more steeply towards the floor, i.e. whether the palmar flexion of the wrist increases. If this is the case, as expected, this proves that the finger extensors are placing the greater restriction. Of course, this pose can also be practiced to stretch the dorsiflexors of the wrist if the fist closure is dispensed with, but this is rarely indicated.
  2. Some people experience a sensation of pain in the joint line of the wrist on the back of the hand in many poses with around 90° dorsiflexion in the wrist, such as upface dog, rectangular handstand, handstand, purvottanasana and other poses. This is usually the result of two factors with varying degrees of relevance:
  3. Fist closure should be as perfect as possible throughout the entire execution, which requires constant attention and possibly frequent adjustments. The stretched muscles are polyarticular muscles (the finger extensors are muscles that span several joints). In order to stretch them properly, all of the spanned joints must be flexed. The influence of the individual joints on the overall effect naturally varies and depends, among other things, on the distance of the muscle or its tendon from the center of rotation of the joint. An exploration shows the influence of the finger flexors on palmar flexion.
  4. The thumb should enclose the fist from the outside, never lie inside the fist, which would limit the extent of fist closure.
  5. The back of the hand will of course not lie completely on the floor, as it is curved transversally, mainly the area of the extensor tendon of the middle finger lies on the floor.
  6. If the back of the hand reaches the floor, bend the elbow exactly outwards (as long as it is necessary to bend the elbow). Make very sure that the fist closure does not deteriorate and that the back of the hand does not lift off the floor.
  7. In principle, the pose could also be performed on one side after side with double expense of time if it proves difficult to keep all the important details in focus.
  8. The exact sitting pose is not very important, a relaxed cross-legged position is quite suitable. Most seats where the ischial tuberosities are on the floor are suitable. However, sitting on your heels is not suitable as the pelvis is too high in this position.

Variants

with an open fist

This avoids the restriction imposed by the finger extensors, which are generally only stretched when the fist is closed, but stretches the mere dorsiflexors of the wrist.

Instructions

  1. Take the pose as described above, but do not clench the fingers into a fist, instead allow a significantly greater angle in the base joints of the fingers than 90° flexion and do not actively bend the fingers.

Details

  1. the closed fists in the basic pose will stretch the finger extensors more than the actual (non-finger-moving) dorsiflexors. As a rule, a lot of work is required on the flexibility of the finger extensors before the actual dorsiflexors can also be stretched in this pose. If the finger extensors are to be bypassed, the fist must be opened. This usually increases the achievable angle of dorsiflexion by more than 10-20° and efficient stretching of the actual dorsiflexors becomes possible.