Hesperian Health Guides
There Are 3 Main Ways of Doing Range-of-Motion Exercises
HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 42: Range-of-Motion and Other Exercises > There Are 3 Main Ways of Doing Range-of-Motion Exercises
| 1. Passive exercise. If the child cannot move the limb at all, either you can do it for him... | |
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 Who says I can't lift my arm! |
or he can move the limb through its full range with another part of his body. |
| 2. Assisted exercise. If the child has enough strength to move the affected part of her body a little, have her move it as far as she can. Then help her the rest of the way. |
 Try to touch my finger!
That's as much as I can lift it! |
 Good!
Now I'll help you lift it as high as it will go!
You keep trying too! I'll only help a little!
Look how high we can lift it together! |
| 3. Active exercise. If the child has enough strength to move the body part by itself through its full range of motion, then he can do the exercises without assistance, or “actively.” When the child can do it, active exercise is usually best, because it also helps maintain or increase strength. | |
| If the child cannot lift the weight of his limb through its full range of motion, have him move his limb while in a position so that he does not have to lift its weight. | |
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| If necessary, support the limb with your hands, in a sling, or on a small roller board. | |
| If he can lift the weight of his limb through its full range of motion, let him exercise in a position to do it. For example, he can lie on his side and lift his leg up sideways. | If he can lift the limb’s weight easily, add resistance by pushing against the limb or by tying a sandbag to it. This helps strengthen the muscles for that motion. |
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cloth bag filled with sand |
| As the child gains strength, gradually increase resistance (add more weight). | |
For many exercises, resistance can be added with stretch bands. Cut rubber bands from an old inner tube. The wider the band, the more resistance it will give.
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Twist the leg in (and the hip out). |
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Twist the leg out (and the hip in). | |
| This child is doing range-of-motion and strengthening exercises at the same time. | ||||
This page was updated:25 Nov 2024