Page:Massage & exercises combined (second version).djvu/52



If the exercise is done only five times it should be executed as explained in the Detailed Description; if done ten times or more, both ways may be used about an equal number of times each.

Exercise No. 3 A

Position—Lying supine on the floor or bed.

Here the movements are the same as in No. 3, except that they are done from the position of lying flat on the back on a bed or mattress. Those of the leg and trunk may be altered in a similar way to those of No. 3. Thus the upper body can remain resting with the back on the bed, while each leg is bent up and firmly held with the hands at the ankle. The leg then pushes itself through them (Fig. 3 A—A and B).

Or, the upper body can be raised and each leg kept nearly straight or bent more or less, is then stroked while the trunk is being bent backward and downward again on the bed (similar to a rowing exercise) (Fig. 3 A—C and D).

The leg and trunk should be back and resting flat on the bed while the hands are stroking over the hips and abdomen, so that the latter is neither distended nor contracted, but kept in a natural and relaxed position (Fig. 3 A—E).

''Analysis and Effects of the Combined Massage Exercise No. 3 (3 A'')

This exercise is combined so that there is obtained practically the same movements as in rowing, together with massage of the legs and the abdomen. This is the case whether the movements are done from a standing position or while lying or sitting.

The movements of the legs, the trunk and the arms and hands, in applying the massage movements, exercise the muscles and nerves of the hands, the arms, the shoulders, the back and the sides of the body, the chest, the abdomen and the legs.