Re-Habra-Cadabra! magic therapy for your fingers
It goes without saying that a magician, more specifically one who specializes in sleight of hand, needs to have nimble fingers. It would also be apparent that any injury to those fingers would greatly hamper a mage’s ability to ply his trade. That’s what happened to me. After sustaining a painful injury to my left index finger, I found I had to relearn most of the sleight of hand moves he had perfected over the course of 30 years. What surprised me, however, was that by relearning these movements, I greatly accelerated the healing process. This is something I have called “Re-habra-cadabra”.
In the process of rehabilitating my injured finger, I discovered an ancient truth. If something is boring, you won’t do it! That’s where most finger rehab exercises fail. They are incredibly boring to do. While perfecting finger flexion and figure extension is an important part of any finger rehab, the truth is that the boredom of repeating most exercises will ensure that within a few days of starting a regimen of exercises, he will leave it. . I think I have found a better solution.
Most people look at sleight of hand magic and assume that it is quite difficult. For the most part, this is true. A magic routine made up of multiple sleight of hand moves is very difficult. But the basic movements that make up the routines can be quite simple to learn. In fact, I remember when I first learned how to do magic, the initial tricks I learned I mastered relatively quickly. When you are learning magic, you are asking your hands and fingers to make unorthodox movements. You will often experience intense cramping and fatigue. You will discover muscles you never thought existed. This is good for rehabilitation. This means that you are working all the muscles that operate your fingers.
This is great news for those who have to rehabilitate a finger. Instead of just opening and closing your fingers, you’ll give them a task to do. The good thing about having a task is that there is an end goal in mind. Instead of just relearning how to open and close your fingers, you’re giving them a reason to open and close. You are communicating to your hand and fingers a task that you wish to perform.
The other great advantage of learning the magic of sleight of hand for finger rehabilitation is that it becomes very clear when you are progressing and healing. For the most part, finger rehabilitation can be a very slow process and it is very difficult to know if you are making any improvements. But, if you give your fingers a task to perform, such as making a coin disappear or performing a one-handed slash with a deck of cards, then as your movements become more fluid, you’ll be able to see how well you’re healing. . Nothing succeeds like success, so these enhancements will further encourage you to work on your rehab.
This is the process I followed, although I did not set out to discover a new mode of therapy. My purpose in embarking on this regimen was to be able to get back to work as quickly as possible. With an injured and immobile finger, I was unable to work for many months. So, I began to relearn the sleight of hand that I spent a lifetime perfecting. In the process, I found that my finger rehabilitation therapy went much faster than I could have expected with the exercise protocol hand therapists normally give. I took a special taste in magic with rubber bands. They are easy to transport and can also be used to add extra tension to normal toe flexion and figure extension exercises.
There would not be enough space in this article to teach someone how to do sleight of hand. There are thousands of books available on the subject, as well as many videos on websites like YouTube. The goal of this article is to make you think differently. What I hope to convey to you is the idea that you don’t have to stick to the exercise regimen your hand therapist gave you. In fact, when I visited my doctor on a weekly basis, I would show him some of the sleight of hand moves I had learned. I was impressed with the speed with which I was recovering.
Of course, don’t limit your rehab to the standard three or four exercises your therapist has given you. I strongly encourage you to seek alternative therapy in the form of learning a new skill or hobby. The magic of sleight of hand is just one of them. Shadow puppets and origami would be other great alternatives. Picking up a musical instrument can do wonders by giving your fingers flexibility, coordination, and strength. In my personal case, I played the banjo. It was many months before I was able to play the banjo again and was only able to do so with multiple layers of bandages on my fingertip. Over a period of weeks and months, I would remove one layer at a time. I currently have only one bandage thickness. I have no doubt that this has sped up my recovery. So in closing, have fun with your therapy. It is quite possible that you could end up with more flexibility, more strength and more agility than before the injury. In the process, you can learn some tricks and stunts that you can show off to your friends. Also, as I said at the beginning of the article, you are more likely to do therapy that you enjoy. If it’s boring you won’t do it. But if it’s fun, not only will you do it, but your recovery time will be greatly reduced.