Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises

For many people, the key to a healthy back is proper exercise. Some exercises help strengthen your back and stomach muscles, and others improve your posture. These exercises help you gain flexibility, coordination, endurance and strength needed 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]. It would help if you controlled 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 the other foot.

Hamstring Stretch

Lie on your back with the left leg 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.

Bridge

Lie on your back with your 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 ten times.

Cross leg Stretch

Lie on your back with your legs out straight. Brace the abdominal muscle, 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 the other leg.

Partial sit-ups

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.

Place your hands on the side of your head. Brace the abdominal muscles, raise your head and shoulders off the ground, and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat ten times.

Groin Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet close together.

Lower the knees to their side until you feel the inner thighs stretch and hold for 20 seconds.

Hip flexor stretch

Lie on your right side with the legs out straight.

Brace your abdominal muscles and pull your left lower shin (not your 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.

Squats

Stand with your spine in a neutral position and brace your abdominal muscles.

Keep your back straight and bend your knees until your hands reach your knees.

Return to the upright position by squeezing your buttocks and pushing your heels into the ground. Repeat 20 times.

Reciprocal arm raises

Stand with your spine in a neutral position and brace your abdominal muscles.

Keep your back straight and bend your 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.

References

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

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MACKENZIE, B. (2002) Lumbar Stabilisation Exercises [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/backex.htm [Accessed