Spinal stabilization exercises are to be done at home once the low back pain has subsided and you have reached a point where you are getting ready to perform normal daily activities without restriction.  The spine may still be weak and prone to injury, please take it slow, consult one of our doctors, and report any pain that you feel during the rehabilitation process. 

1.      Curl-Up – lay on your back on the floor with one leg flat on the ground and the other leg bent at 90° and the foot flat on the floor.  Place both hands under the low back to support the natural curve and have the elbows flat on the ground.  Keeping the neck in alignment with the upper torso, lift the shoulders off the floor and hold for 5 seconds.  Breathing should remain normal and controlled during contraction.  Remember to switch legs and perform the same numbers of contractions on the opposite side. 

a.      Progressing: One way to increase muscular contraction is to progress to a point of lifting the elbows off the floor during the contraction.

b.      Progressing: Another way is to stiffen the abdominal wall (contracting muscles before lifting shoulders).

c.       Dead Bug Progression: This is a very short range motion with the stiffening of the abdominal wall muscles, and quick contractions to lift the shoulders and hips off the floor but leaving the mid section down. 

Sets_______  Reps _______

2.      Side Bridge – lay on your side, resting on your elbow with the elbow directly under the shoulder joint.  Hips should be back (as if squatting), knees bent and on the floor.  The opposite hand should be placed over the supporting shoulder to stabilize the joint.  Lift the hips, shifting your weight to the knees, as the pelvis is raised up and forward to come into alignment with the chest and knees.   Remember to repeat on opposite side

a.      Progressing: Place the opposite hand on the waist, extend the feet straight down from the knees and perform the bridging move using the feet as the weight bearing point. 

b.      Progressing further:  From the above bridge position rotate slowly to a front plank position.  Keep the rib cage locked in the same plane as the pelvis during this rotation. 

Sets _______ Reps _______

3.      Bird Dog – Start on your hands and knees with your hips and shoulders at 90°.  Raise one arm at a time straight forward of the head and hold.  Then raise one leg at a time straight back from the hip and hold.  Do this for both arms and both legs for 3-5 seconds for each rep. 

a.      Progressing: Raise one arm and the opposite leg at the same time and hold for 5 seconds.

b.      Progressing more: Raise arm and leg as above and draw squares the the hand and foot while they are extended.  Motion should only occur at the hip or the shoulder joints. 

Sets _______ Reps _______

Spinal Bracing can be applied to all of these exercises.  The way to perform spinal bracing is to tighten the abdominal wall as if you were about to be “hit in the belly”, without pushing out or sucking in. 

Fascial Raking also can be used.  This is the process of targeting particular muscles by raking the fingers over the muscle to be targeted while contracting that particular muscle.  This process helps provide the brain with more feedback during the exercise.  Frequently the muscle of focus is too deep to use this technique and it becomes non-functional for that muscle. 

            Dynamic Chiropractic, November 18, 2009 p. 34.  Article by Dr. Shawn Thistle, D.C. BKin, CSCS