Hyperextension tendency in hands/fingers

[Lily]

Sooo. I went to a table review last night at my school for the 'deep circ' strokes that we learned in the 150 program, hoping to gain some confidence in my deeper work - I have a conscious fear of hurting someone by rushing into their tissue (er which wouldn't really be possible at my slow, obsessive rate of work, lol, but anyway).

As I was practicing on another student in my class, the instructor noticed that I was concentrating on using my fists and forearms, and asked me to perform a few deep strips for her to see.. er well, I really don't use my 'chisel tools' much at all because I feel like I can never get a good angle for my hands and wrists that feels comfortable as I lean into the stroke, as keeping everything in a straightish ergonomic line seemed to be a strain in itself. The instructor watched me sweat through a few strokes and stopped to ask me if I'm double jointed, then tested my fingers and saw that my fingers hyperextend about 20 degrees w/o effort (plus - my hands were already very warmed up from massaging), and I realized that my strain in the strokes was coming from trying to use my muscles to stabilize my hand for pressure - I learned early on that letting myself hyperextend HURTS :shock: . The teacher said that she had heard some people in the field say that hyperextension like that can shorten a career, and it's indeed hard doing basic techniques given the fact that my school teaches us to immobilize hands/wrists at all times, but she said that if I'm willing to work at it, I'd need to strengthen my hand with LOTS of squishy ball/rubber band resistance/self "push-up" using fingertips exercises in order to be able to keep things stable. She said to work at it daily and see how it worked for me.. I figure I'll try it out, and if that doesn't work, look into no-hands techniques

Anyone else have this problem, resolved it?? I feel a little validated knowing that my form was correct except for my fingers.. time to buy some stress balls.

 

[deciduous_me]

I am double jointed and my fingers do bend back when I use my finger tips to work deeply. It is difficult to keep them straight and it does not hurt my fingers when they bend back. In school, my teacher would comment on it, she didnt like it at all. It takes more strength to keep them straight!! So, I just let them bend a bit since it doesnt hurt.

I try my best not to use my fingers or hands much any more because I was getting some pain in my thumb joints.

Nowadays, I use my arms and elbows for much of my deep work. It takes some getting used to, but it is effective. I save my hands for scooping work on the neck and shoulders.

Today I received the "NO HANDS MASSAGE" book in the mail. It came all the way from England. It is well worth the $44 I paid for it!! http://www.nohandsmassage.com I will be reading it cover to cover this weekend.

Christine

 

[pdq]

I have birth defects of both thumbs, which affect my fingers. I do not do much of anything with my hands in the positions that were taught in school, but I've lived with these hands all my life, and knew how to compensate. You have lived with your hands & hyperextending fingers all your life, too, and it sounds like you already found ways to work without hurting yourself.

Always take advice, compare it to what you already know from your own experience, use what you can from it and trust yourself for the rest. Strengthening your hands can only be good - go for it. But changing your technique to be the "school model" is going to take some real thinking and decision making. Is it best for YOUR longevity? Maybe. You will know.