The Abacus™ Handbook

34 Pages·2017·9.68 MB·English

The Abacus Handbook
™
Angela Kneale OTD, MA, OTR/L, NBC-HWC
Occupational Therapist, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Certified Pilates Instructor, Franklin Method® Educator
www.gelliflex.com
Contents
WELCOME TO THE ABACUS™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
HANDS AND ARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Design and Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Muscles, Nerves and Fascia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Trigger Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ABACUS™ 123s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Abacus™ Care and Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Setting Up Abacus™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Positioning Abacus™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

SELF-MASSAGE MOVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Abacus Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Finger/Thumb Squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Finger/Thumb Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Finger/Thumb Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Hand Squeeze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Hand Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Hand Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Wrist Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Wrist Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Forearm Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Forearm Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Elbow Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Elbow Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Biceps Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Biceps Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Triceps Rolling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Triceps Compression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Welcome to The Abacus™
What does it take to become an inventor? Basically, have a problem to solve.
After sitting at a desk hunched over a keyboard and papers for many hours over many
years, I ended up with back and neck issues, along with pain in my fingers, thumb,
hand, wrist, arm and elbow. And some sports, like tennis and golf, also caused hand
and arm aches and pains for me. I’m a lawyer, business owner, father, and family man
– just a regular guy with a job, family and hobbies. Over time pain was a constant for
me, affecting my ability to do things and be active.
So just like many of you that start to suffer from aches and pains in your hands and
arms, I searched out treatment. I got massages and did physical therapy. Many things
helped for the moment. Professional massages and reflexology helped to relieve
those aches and pains, ease joints and muscles, and generally just feel great. I’d have
that kind of massage all the time if I could – but that takes another person, time
and resources. I believe in taking care of myself, and greatly believe in the incredible
benefits of paying a professional to work on my body.
The problem is I can’t do that every day. So how can I assist my own massage therapy?
Finding the answer started off with buying every kind of self-massage therapy device
on the market. I tried various devices but none of them really worked well for all
of the areas of the hand and arm. Usually the devices I found were too hard or too
cumbersome. Or they worked okay for my forearm, but not my hand or fingers. Or
vice versa. Like many of you out there, I have a basket of massage therapy devices at
home. What I needed was something – one device – that could address all of these
issues, rather than having a series of multiple tools to do different things. So I designed
and developed the Abacus for myself (I built my first prototype out of wood, stainless
rods and squeeze balls – it looked like an abacus!). I have spent well over three years
working on the design with the goal of building a customizable, flexible and cost-
effective self-therapy device.
The Abacus works for me and I hope it does for you, too.
Craig Olschansky
Inventor, Founder
GELLIFLEX Systems, LLC
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Hands and Arms
Our hands are remarkable tools that incorporates interchangeable non-latex
allow us to perform amazing activities – gel-balls of differing firmness, allowing
from completing routine everyday you to customize and create thousands
tasks to creating unique masterpieces. of restorative combinations.
Unfortunately, many of us use our hands
Convenient access to your Abacus
too much and the rest of our bodies too
invites consistent self-treatment sessions
little. Repeated reliance on our hands
to optimize the beneficial outcomes
for work, play and self-care activities
of self-massage – including softening
often progresses toward overuse of our
muscle tightness, releasing tension,
upper extremity muscles and joints.
increasing movement and function,
Additionally, our hands are often out in
improving comfort, and enhancing
front of our bodies – leading to habitual
circulation, lymphatic flow and tissue
posture stresses and muscle imbalances.
hydration.
Paying attention to the care of your
What happens to your hands impacts
hands and arms positively influences
your whole body, as well as the opposite –
your entire body. Use of therapeutic
whole body activities impact your
hand massage has documented benefits –
hands. Awareness of aligned posture
for relaxation, comfort and healing –
and neutral wrist positioning is beneficial
for people of all ages and from ancient
throughout your daily activities – while
times to the present day.
using your computer, cell phone and
The Abacus™ Handbook introduces both electronic tablets, as well as while
the benefits and methods of using the driving, cooking and playing music and
Abacus self-massage tool for improved recreational sports. Use any tools or
comfort and function of your fingers, instruments safely and effectively, while
hands, wrists, forearms, elbows and limiting the force of your grasp.
upper arms. This innovative device
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The human body was designed for Design and Function
movement – hand, arm, leg and whole
body movements in a variety of ways. The human body well demonstrates
Ease the stresses on your body by phenomenal design and extraordinary
changing your position every 15–20 function, and modern science continually
minutes, shifting your body weight and researches the multitudes of significant
taking breaks to move all your muscles complexities to learn more and better
and joints in every way. understand. Specific body regions are
often studied separately and receive
Frequent physical activity is vital for
specialized medical care, however it is
the optimal health and function of all
well known that body systems influence
our body systems. Moderate exercise
one another and function together as an
is recommended for at least 30
organized whole being.
minutes on most days of each week,
supplemented with short bouts of more With the ease of your whole body
vigorous exercise. Strength training and in mind, the Gelliflex™ Abacus™ was
weight bearing exercises that challenge designed to support the movement,
the body’s mechanical load help comfort and function of your hands and
stimulate and maintain its well-designed arms. This exceptionally versatile gel-ball
structures, with 2–3 days recovery time. self-massage tool provides therapeutic
techniques for your fingers, thumbs,
Along with posture correction and
hands, wrists, forearms, elbows and
whole body exercise, routine self-
upper arms. Self-massage is an effective
massage techniques with the Abacus
way to relieve excess stress and reduce
can help maintain healthy muscles,
any muscle soreness.
nerves and connective tissues, as well as
help promote healing following overuse The wonderful design of our hands
or injury. and arms provides extraordinary
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dexterity and amazing function. From the hand. Two nerves pass through the
a musculoskeletal viewpoint, the carpal tunnel to the hand, including the
complexity increases from the top median nerve – leading to the thumb,
down. The upper arm has one bone, index, middle and inner half of the ring
the forearm has two, the wrist has eight fingers, and the ulnar nerve – leading to
bones, and each hand has 19 bones – 5 the small finger and outer hand of the
metacarpals (palm) and 14 phalanges ring finger. The radial nerve travels to the
(fingers). back of the forearm and hand.
Muscles of your upper arm include
biceps and triceps, important for elbow
movements and shoulder positioning. Muscles, Nerves
Muscles that rotate your forearm include
and Fascia
supinator to turn your palm up and
pronator teres to turn your palm down,
Muscles, nerves and connective tissues
as well as brachioradialis that assists
work in synchrony during movement
with both movements when working
and daily activities. The connective
against resistance.
tissue system includes fascia, tendons,
Muscles at the back of your forearm ligaments, cartilage and bone, as well as
that extend your wrist backward include blood. These connective tissues provide
extensor carpi radialis longus/brevis and uniting functions – joining every cell in
extensor carpi ulnaris. Muscles located in the body to its neighbors, connecting
the front of your forearm that function numerous body systems, and linking
to flex your wrist forward include the inner workings of each cell to the
palmaris longus, flexor carpi radialis and physiological state of your entire body.
flexor carpi ulnaris, along with flexor
To envision the three-dimensional
digitorum superficialis/profundus and
continuous nature of fascia, think of a
flexor pollicis longus that also function
set of Russian dolls, with each doll fitting
to bend your fingers and thumb.
inside the next, and the next. Innermost
Extensor digitorum is another of your
layers of the body’s connective tissues
hand muscles located in your forearm
include the dura that surrounds the
with tendons attaching to phalanges,
spinal cord. Next layers include the
and functions to extend your fingers out.
pleura surrounding the lungs and the
The lumbricales are small muscles peritoneum that surrounds abdominal
between the metacarpals of your palm, organs. Further out, the deep and
with dorsal interossei at the back. superficial layers of fascia provide the
Abductor digiti minimi allows reaching framework for the body’s bones, muscles
movements of your little finger. Muscles and nerves.
at the base of your thumb, adductor
In reality, fascia is a body-wide
pollicis and oppenens pollicis, allow your
interconnected network from inner
thumb to rotate and touch your other
to outer layers, and from head to
fingers.
fingertips and toes Thick, dense deep
Three major nerves transmit movement fascia surrounds all bones, cartilage,
and sensory information to and from muscles, ligaments and tendons –
blending with the outside layer of bones
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called periosteum, as well as with the that pressure on the outside of the body
epimysium that surrounds the skeletal relates to activity within the body’s cells.
muscles. Fascia also surrounds each
Fascia is made of collagen, elastin,
muscle fiber (endomysium), as well as
and water. Healthy fascia has a lattice
groups of muscle fibers or fascicles
orientation of collagen fibers, allowing
(perimysium). Fascia envelops, and is
springiness and elastic recoil, and is well
also infused throughout the muscle,
hydrated. Water makes up about two-
providing scaffolding and functioning
thirds of the volume of fascia tissues. In
together as myofascia.
response to mechanical loading such
Fascia has been increasingly researched as compression or stretching, water is
in recent years, as a vital, relevant body pushed out (like squeezing a sponge).
system important for transmission of When the external pressure is released,
tensional forces throughout the body, the fascia receives refreshed rehydration.
essential for sensory communication
Fascial restrictions due to repetitive
about body position and movement,
stress or posture problems, as well as
and valuable for integrating many
scar tissue following injury or surgery,
body systems. Acting as tensegrity
can inhibit healthy movement and
systems consisting of both compression
function. Fascia research suggests that
elements (bones) and tensile elements
gentle, rather than strong, sustained
(muscles, tendons, ligaments and
pressure beneficially improves
fascia), our bodies respond dynamically
the mechanical stress transfer to
to distribute forces throughout. Fascia
targeted tissues during massage
has rebounding, resilient and elastic
therapy. Self-massage techniques,
properties that provide transmission,
including squeezing, rolling and gentle
storage, and release of kinetic energy
compression with Abacus™ gel-balls, can
during daily movement, with force
help maintain healthy fascia, as well as
transmission occurring from muscle to
help promote healing after injury.
fascia to bone. And research has shown
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Trigger Points
Myofascial trigger points are tender Treatment to release trigger points
spots within the interconnected muscle promotes interruption of muscle spasms
and fascia system, often related to and pain cycles, lengthening of tight
muscle tension, repetitive stress, posture areas that also impact nearby tissues,
deficits, injury or trauma. The tissue stimulation of blood supply, clearing
texture of trigger points can feel like a of debris and toxins, and calming the
nodule, pea-like or larger lumps, or ropy autonomic nervous system. When
taut bands. combined with healthful lifestyle habits
such as regular physical activity and
Common trigger points have been
good nutrition, trigger point release can
mapped throughout the body, with
yield positive results.
these illustrations highlighting regional
trigger points in the hands and arms. Trigger point therapy focuses on
compression techniques that apply
steady, direct, and slowly increasing
pressure to the trigger point. The mild
to moderate compression also gently
stimulates sensory receptors, helping
muscles and fascia to lengthen and relax.
Maintaining sustained pressure promotes
the softening and releasing of the
trigger point, which may take from a few
seconds to a few minutes. With hands-
on trigger point therapy, compression
is following by gentle generalized
massage. Compression and release
may be repeated up to three times on a
specific point before moving to another
trigger point.
Self-treatment with the Abacus™ for
trigger point release emphasizes your
exploration and discovery of tender
areas, along with providing the “just-
right” amount of gentle, sustained
pressure and holding for the “just-right”
amount of time for release. Follow the
compression techniques with gentle
rolling using the gel-balls. Trigger points
may be addressed directly, or often
benefit from self-treatment in an area
nearby.
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Abacus 1-2-3s
The Gelliflex™ Abacus is a gel-ball self-massage device designed for relief from hand/
wrist/arm aches and pains caused by overuse or repetitive activity. The Abacus
incorporates interchangeable non-latex gel-balls of differing firmness, allowing you to
customize and create thousands of restorative combinations.
The soft elastomer material provides the gel-balls with a better tactile and therapeutic
feel, supporting self-treatment techniques of squeezing, rolling, and compression. The
countless Abacus combinations allow focus on a particular part of your hand and arm,
as well as moving fluidly from one motion to the next, much like a therapist would
provide.
52 MM GELLIPRENE™ BALLS, FRAME
DIFFERING FIRMNESS • S turdy, wear-resistant
• Soft Purple gel-ball H-shaped frame
• Medium Lime Green gel-ball
• Firm Blue gel-ball
GRIP HANDLE
FEET SLIDING TRIGGER LOCK
• L ocks axles in place
AXLE SLOTS BALL ASSEMBLY (ONE OR TWO GEL-BALLS)
• Built in, easily open and close
• 6 on the front (white side)
of frame
• 5 on the back (gray side)
of frame
• Abacus slots are numbered –
END CAP SPACER
also with Braille designations
SOLID STEEL AXLE (INSIDE)
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Abacus™ Care and Cleaning
The Abacus has been designed for maximum versatility and effectiveness, with
interchangeable parts made of materials that can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
CARE GUIDELINES CLEANING GUIDELINES
• W ARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – do Please use only these recommended
NOT use with children under 3 years solutions to clean the Abacus frame,
of age – end caps and spacers are gel-balls, axles, end caps and spacers:
small enough to be swallowed.
• Disinfectant wipes (no bleach) such as
• Adult supervision required for use with Purell, Lysol, Clorox or similar products
children 3 to 12 years of age. of any other brand.
• Keep fingers away from open slots
when opening/closing the slots to
insert/remove ball assemblies –avoid
getting your fingers caught in a slot.
• Do NOT leave the gel-balls in extreme
heat or exposed to the sun for
extended periods.
• Do NOT leave gel-balls on newsprint or
similar media – the print may “tattoo”
• Diluted mild dish soap (no degreasing
the balls (like silly putty).
agents) and water – use a sparing
• Do NOT stand on the Abacus. Use of amount of dish soap.
the Abacus for foot compression may
W ARNING: High concentration of dish
damage the device.
soap with degreasing agents may
damage the gel-ball material, resulting
• Proceed with CAUTION if using the
in gradual hardening and shrinkage.
Abacus for feet, as sliding a foot
between axles may damage the frame.
• D o NOT submerge the frame – water
may become trapped inside the frame.
• For more of a silky feel, apply a small
amount of cornstarch to the gel-balls.
• Isopropyl alcohol works well to clean
and disinfect the Abacus.
• Do NOT use these cleaning solutions:
- Vegetable or vegetable-based
products
- Solvents
- Bleach
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