Mendes System of Praying Exercises for the Hip Joints

What are Praying Exercises? Praying exercises aims at moving the hip joints in painless maximal range. They are carried out in three positions - lying down, sitting on a bench or standing on knees and hands aiming at . Lying on hard surface with the knees bent the hips are let to fall passively apart and abduct by gravity, then adduct in a similar way. Sitting on a bench or chair the body bends in relation to the hip joints, forward by gravity and backward controlled by the trunk muscles. These are gravity dependant exercises (GDE). The hip girdle muscles practically remain at rest therefore the motion causes no pain and is easily controlled. This motion is called 'Reverse action exercises' (RAE) and is carried through full range in all directions. The range of motion accomplished by the exercises does not depend on active function of the thigh muscles, therefore should cause no pain. Control of the extent of each motion allows reaching the threshold of pain and not further.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 Rothschild (Bnai Zion) Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. This method has been tested with rewarding results for more than twenty years among patients prior to and following surgery such as hip joints implants and was implemented in Elisha Hospital and Horev Medical Center in Haifa as well. 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. similar too is the requirement for concentration and persistence. Who will benefit from Praying Exercises?People of all ages that suffer from disease of the Hip Joints such as Arthritis and Rheumatism will benefit from Praying Exercises. The exercises were designed to improve and prevent deterioration of the range of motion of Hip joints affected by the disease. The process that accompanies Arthritis or erosion of the articular cartilage causes joint pain, due to inflammation of the synovial tissue inside the joint.. Pain accompanies mainly side and rotation motion of the hip. Pain increases when bearing weight in walking, climbing stairs and getting up from a sitting position or bed. At a late stage pain continues at rest and increases during night sleep. To control the pain the patient instinctively limits motion to the joint . In Degenerative Arthritis that is the more common arthritis, erosion of the articular cartilage denudes the joint surface and exposes the bone that gets sclerotic and hardens and reacts with structural protrusions and cysts. The joint gradually loses range of motion in all directions, the ligaments and joint capsule contract and the muscles shorten. It is a long term process and each acute attack of inflammation and pain enhances the deterioration of joint structure and function. Physical exercises are a popular way to improve joint function. But conventional exercises cannot serve to control muscles contractures and loss of motion since they increase joint pressure and pain. Pain evokes inflammatory response and further damage to the joint. For that reason Praying Exercises were designed. People that will benefit from Praying Exercises are those affected with degenerative and inflammatory disease, candidates for hip surgery prior to surgery and following surgery and children affected by Legg- Perthes disease and slipped femoral epiphysis.