I'm not a contortionist

Well perhaps you could lie on your tummy on the table, and let the affected arm (and shoulder) slide off the table on one side, then put the elbow back on with the hand elevated, while keeping the shoulder off the table (and therefore lower).
Good luck with reaching over with the other hand and massaging it all without falling off the table, though

But I think you'd probably have to dislocate the shoulder first to achieve this....

Pity it wasn't the other hand, that shoulder was dislocated a year or so ago, so it would have been easy to repeat that.

No, don't think I'll try that, Bathsheba I'd have to put a mattress on the floor for when I slid off the table head-first.

So this is just having your arm flat on a table, but also having your arm at a 45 degree angle. Simples! Put some books under two legs of your coffee table to prop it up at 45 degrees, sit on the floor at the other end and lay your arm on the table. Good luck!!

Maybe I could just stand up, stick my arm up in the air and lean it against a wall.

These exercises had been translated from the German, so maybe someone was a bit less than accurate. Or maybe German anatomy is not the same of British?

Sit on the floor under a table and reach up with your hand?

I've looked again at the picture online. The arm seems to be vertical! I wonder whether someone translated a word as table instead of wall?

Anyway, that exercise seems to be for the first week after the incident, to lessen the swelling associated with the break, and I am now starting week 4, so I think I shall just skip it.

I'm with Monica - seems easy enough.

Have fun with the skipping but don't strain your hand, Elegran.

Of course, if my notes had not been marked "No further treatment required" after the initial minor injuries visit (pinkie strapped to next finger by nurse, Xray emailed to consultant who didn't feel he needed to see the actual hand or the actual patient, 5 minutes total, next patient please) then perhaps I would be attending physio with an actual physiotherapist.