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Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises
For many people, the key to a healthy back is proper exercise.
Some exercises are designed to strengthen your back and stomach muscles, other
exercises are designed to improve your posture. These exercises are designed to
help you gain flexibility, co-ordination, endurance and strength needed to be
able to maintain your spine in the positions that will tolerate mechanical
forces best during daily activities. Exercise alone will not do enough to
improve your functional ability (Barr 2005, 2007) [1,2]. You need to control actively the forces that
go towards your spine as you do things during the day.
Exercises
When performing the following exercises remember to keep breathing normally, do not hold your breath.
Abdominal Brace
Stand with your spine in a neutral position and brace your abdominal muscles for 20 seconds. This exercise can be performed when sitting, standing and lying.
Tiny Steps
Lie on your back with the knees bent, feet flat on the ground and brace your abdominal muscles.
Keeping the hips on the ground, lift one foot up and down 2-3 inches for 2 minutes. Repeat with other foot. |
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Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back with the left leg out straight and the right leg bent with the foot flat on the ground.
Loop a belt or cord over your left foot. Brace your abdominal muscles and keeping the left leg straight pull the left foot towards you until you feel the stretch behind your left thigh and knee.
Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and then lower the leg. Repeat with the right leg. |
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Bridge
Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Brace your abdominal muscles and raise your buttocks and trunk slowly up.
Lower and
touch down lightly and repeat 10 times. |
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Cross leg Stretch
Lie on your back with your legs out straight. Brace the abdominal muscle and pull your knee and shin towards the opposite shoulder until
you feel the stretch in your buttock.
Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat with other
leg. |
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Partial sit-ups
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
Place your hands at the side of head. Brace the abdominal muscles and raise your head and shoulders off the ground and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times |
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Groin Stretch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet close together.
Lower the knees to their side until you feel the stretch in the inner thighs and hold for 20
seconds. |
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Hip flexor stretch
Lie on your right side with the legs out straight.
Brace your abdominal muscles and pull your left lower shin (not foot) behind you with your left hand until you feel
the stretch in the left thigh.
Hold for 20 seconds.
Lie on your left side and repeat the exercise for the left leg. |
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Squats
Stand with your spine in a neutral position and brace your abdominal muscles.
Keep your back straight and bend the
knees until your hands reach your knees.
Return to the upright position by squeezing
buttocks and pushing your heels into the ground. Repeat 20 times |
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Reciprocal arm raises
Stand with your spine in a neutral position and brace your abdominal muscles.
Keep your back straight bend the
knees until your hands reach your knees.
Raise and lower both arms to the front keeping the elbows straight and
shoulders back. Repeat 20 times. |
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Referenced Material
- BARR, K.P. MD et al. (2005) Lumbar Stabilization: A Review of Core Concepts and Current Literature, Part 1. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation,
84 (6), p. 473-480
- BARR, K.P. MD et al. (2007) Lumbar Stabilization: A Review of Core Concepts and Current Literature, Part 2. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 86 (1), p. 72-80
Page Reference
The reference for this page is:
- MACKENZIE, B. (2002) Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/backex.htm [Accessed
Associated Pages
The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

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