In the story, "Man from the South," a young man who was training to be in the United States Navy almost loses his pinky finger in a bet. There would be many deficits to certain occupations in his life if he did lose it because the pinky finger is very important, and it would absolutely affect his training for the Navy. During Naval training, cadets must go through strenuous physical training including long mile runs, push-up, sit-ups, and pull-ups. One of those specific occupations that would be affected greatly for the cadet would be pull-ups. The reason for this is because the pinky finger is very crucial for grip strength in the hand. Loss of the pinky finger can cause up to a loss of 50% of hand strength. This would make exercises like pull-ups very difficult for the cadet, making it even harder for him to pass his physical exam to become a true Navy soldier. A modification that I would recommend to the cadet to help him gain independence for doing pull-ups would be using weight lifting hook straps with wrist supports. These hooks would go on the pull-up bar, giving him good grip strength that he would've lost, and the wrist straps would help support him while the grips were on the bar. I believe that these straps would help the cadet be an independent soldier in his training and most importantly with his occupation of pull-ups.
I agree that the loss of his pinky finger would negatively impact his workout regiment, particularly pull-ups as you mentioned, as he would not be able to fully grasp the bar and support himself. I have never heard of hook straps - they look like a great piece of equipment to adjust, maximize his performance, and receive the same physical benefits as if his pinky was still present!
ReplyDeleteI agree that a loss of grip strength would negatively impact workouts, which would then trickle down to his abilities to pass the physical fitness portion of his training. Without modifications like you listed above, the solider would struggle with these task and may be unable to further his career with the United States Navy. I am glad you added in a picture of what the hook straps looked like to really pull it all together for me. As Pamela stated, with the use of the adaptive devices it would help maximize his performance as if the pinky was still in tact.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Enjoyed reading your post!
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