VALUE OF GYMNASTICS

Shannon News, 14 June 1929, Page 4

VALUE OF GYMNASTICS

DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRALIA,

SOME REMARKABLE RESULTS.

la the medical gymnasiums at som of the metropolitan hospitals in Aus tralia, cripples who have lost the us of legs, arms or hands through variou forms’ of paralysis are having thei muscles re-educated to -their natura functions. Now hope comes to. thei v. hen they find that, with practice, thj power to walk is returning, or au ari or hand will do things ' ■'which the; m vor believe it would be capable o doing again. Gymnasiums' of thi kind are now attached to most modem hospitals, particularly in Sidney am Melbourne.

The patients; of the Melbourne Hos pit-al arc under the care of Miss V Pull, a young and energetic wnedica gymnast, who trained there and ha had charge of the gymnasium since i was established about 18 months ag( Miss Bull attends every afternoon an treats cases, which average 13 a da) Nearly all are out-patients' and man; of them are sufferers of spinal cum ture. There are facilities in .the gyve nasium for treating rheums toid and locomotor ataxia cases. Joint and limbs which have seemingly bee left stiff and useless by old fracture are restored.to free and easy action. Miss Bull, who is intensely intercs' e;l in hei work, is very persevering, fo as a'rule, cures are effected very slov ]\, She laughed at the suggestio that the halt and lame came ou erutcl ts and walked away unaided after th first course of re-education. . The pr< gress of some patients has been astoi isliing, but she declares that no min clcs are performed. The gymnasiuj is equipped with several coritrivanc< fo: exercise. On one side of the rod; the floor is painted with white foe marks, on which leg patients have t walk, instead of shuffling along. The fallow the marks up and down unt they get the correct movement. Each , lesson is harder than the pr vious one, the squares in which tl

feet are placed becoming smaller a: the test proceeds. Simple turns whic a normal person does without thin] iug are a great effort to some of th afflicted people. • There are speck marks for teaching the turn., One a white zig-zag course about 9 inch; wide. With some cripples there is i co-ordination of movements and t-hc legs swing out wide ,as soon as th( start to walk, but in the zigzag cours they try and try again, until they cr keep within the lines. There is a walking board ■on whi< patients move along with the aid of trolley to rest their hands on. Tl board becomes narrower and more di ficult as the trolley is pushed fonyar Another appliance is an American m chine known as a pelvis fixer. ' Tl patient is strapped in and. can on move from the hips. From this p sition bending-exercises are given. T gymnasium also contains a statioiiai bicycle and a rowing machine' for ge oral exercises. On these stiff kne ami elbows arc loosened. These mac incs were, originally on a troop sh and were given to the hospital by tl Red Cross Society/ . Medical gymnastics come under tl science of physio-therapy, which i eludes massage and treatment by ole tricity.