Mendes System of Praying Exercises for the Hip Joints

The concept of Praying exercises was developed by Professor David G. Mendes MD and the physiotherapists Kobi Schwartz and Danny Kelman from the Center for Implant Surgery at the Bnai Zion (Rothschild) Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. This method has been tested with rewarding results for more than twenty years. The term Praying Exercises was chosen due to the similarity of some of the movements to those done during rituals in a variety of religions and require concentration and persistence. Praying exercises aim at moving the hip joints in flowing, painless, motions. he system uses 'reverse action ' and 'gravity depended' exercises. The exercises maximize the motion's range that lubricates the articular cartilage and maintain its viability by alternating gentle pressure. The system uses three basic positions: lying down, sitting on a bench and at a later stage standing on hands and knees. These positions allow the trainer to adapt his exercises and routines to his own level of comfort, minimizing pressure and pain on the joints. Praying exercises were developed to benefit people of all ages that suffer from diseases of hip joints such as Arthritis and Rheumatism. These conditions manifest in discomfort and pain in the joints and bony structure of the thighs and pelvis. In most cases, the arthritic joint's tissues inflammatory process causes bony protrusions and cysts and degrades the articular cartilage. This process eventually limits joint motion. As the condition progresses, pain increases until basic motion and actions such as stair climbing and standing up from a sitting position are accompanied by acute pain. At its worse, these conditions inflict pain and long lasting damage to muscles, ligaments and bones, even when in complete rest. Physical exercises are a popular way to improve body function but conventional exercises increase load and pressure on the painful arthritic joint. Therefore conventional methods of exercise are found to be unsuitable for treatment of Arthritis and Rheumatism. In order to alleviate pain and promote healing, Praying Exercises were designed to provide a solution to those people that suffer from painful joints due to degenerative and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, patients awaiting surgery or recovering from hip surgery will benefit greatly from the procedures described in this book - both in a pain relieving capacity as well as promoting and supporting a full recovery. Experience also showed that the exercises help children affected by Legg- Perthes disease and slipped capital femoral epiphysis.