Thumb-Web Brace for Oriented Palm
Orienting the palm for a focused hypothenar, thenar, or ulnar-side contact is where the use of the thumb-web brace shines. Although the opposite-side palm brace( Figure 3A) works very well when employing the full-flat palm as the contact, it does not allow for comfortable changes in the orientation of the palm toward the hypothenar eminence, thenar eminence, or the ulnar side of the hand,
A whereas the thumb-web brace does allow for transitioning from full-flat palm to these other more focused contacts of the palm( Figure 7). The ability to seamlessly move between these strong, broad, and comfortable contacts, with bracing for both increased strength and efficient body mechanics, can bring orthopedic therapeutic massage to a new level, especially when working with deeper pressure.
C
THE ABILITY TO SEAMLESSLY MOVE BETWEEN THESE STRONG, BROAD, AND COMFORTABLE CONTACTS, WITH BRACING FOR BOTH INCREASED STRENGTH AND EFFICIENT BODY MECHANICS, CAN BRING ORTHOPEDIC THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE TO A NEW LEVEL, ESPECIALLY WHEN WORKING WITH DEEPER PRESSURE.
B
D
Figure 7. Thumb-web brace for contacts of the palm –( A) Full-flat palm,( B) Hypothenar eminence,( C) Ulnar side,( D) Thenar eminence
Angle of our Forearms
When working with the thumb-web brace for a palm contact( whether it is the full-flat palm or a hypothenar-oriented or thenar-oriented palm), the force for the pressure can be generated from either side of the upper extremity, or both upper extremities. In other words, the braceside hand can contribute to the force of the stroke. The degree of contribution can vary from adding perhaps 10 – 20 percent of the force to being 50 percent of the force, to even being the majority or all the force of the stroke. This is important because it allows us to change the angle of our forearms, which in turn