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Osteopathic Exercise

Lower Back Exercises - Flexibility

Pelvic Tilt

  • Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor.
  • Push the small of your back into the floor by tightening your buttocks and pulling in your stomach.
  • Hold for 5 seconds and relax

Cat – Camel

  • Kneel on all fours with feet pointing backwards and hands pointing forwards.
  • Slowly push your back from the straight position upwards into an arched position, hold for 3 seconds
  • Slowly return to straight and continue to arch into a downwards position, hold for 3 seconds
  • Repeat all 5 times

Hip Twist

  • Lie on the floor with both legs bent and arms by your side.
  • Slowly let both legs drop to the left until restriction or the floor is felt and hold for 5 seconds
  • Repeat on the other side

Lateral Stretch

  • Stand with your arms by your side and feet shoulder width apart
  • Slowly slide your right hand down along the side of your right leg, leaning to the right until restriction is felt and hold for 5 seconds
  • Return slowly to starting position and repeat for left side

 Knee To Chest

  • Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent at 45 degrees and feet flat
  • Grab your left leg and hold with both hands under the knee, interlocking fingers
  • Slowly pull your knee to your chest until restriction is felt and hold for 5 seconds
  • Repeat on right side
  • Repeat both sides 5 times

Spinal Roll

  • Sit upright with both legs bent and held to chest with both arms
  • Slowly roll backwards until your shoulders touch the floor, then roll back up to starting position

Lotus Stretch

  • Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched in a “V” position. Bend your knees so that you can bring the soles of your feet together
  • Holding your feet together, bend slightly forward and slowly push your legs to the ground with your elbows until restriction is felt
  • Hold for 5 seconds and return to upright position. Repeat 5 times

Lower Back Exercises - Strengthening and Stabilizing

Back Bridge

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
  • Keep your shoulders and head relaxed on the floor
  • Tighten your abdominals and gluteal muscles, then raise your hips to form a straight (diagonal) line from your knees to your shoulders
  • Hold for 10 seconds and return to starting position
  • Repeat 5 times – gradually increasing day by day until you reach 30

 

Leg Lift

  • Lie on the floor on your left side with your left arm bent under your head to support. Right arm balances your body in front of your chest
  • Making sure that your body and legs are kept straight, slowly raise your right leg in a scissor action about 30cm above your left leg. Hold for 5 seconds
  • Relax and return to starting position, repeat 5 times
  • Repeat all steps on right side

 

Superman

Basic:

  • Extend your arms on the ground in front of your body keeping your forehead down in contact with the ground.
  • Raise one arm and the opposite leg simultaneously so they both just lift off the ground surface, hold for 3 seconds and lower both limbs back to the ground, repeating up to 10 times
  • Repeat this action using the other arm and leg.

Intermediate:

  • Kneel on all fours with your feet facing backwards and hands facing forwards. Keeping your back straight
  • Bend your head towards the floor while bringing your your left leg up to touch your knee to your chin
  • Extend the leg straight out until it is level with your back but not higher while raising your head, Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times
  • Repeat all steps on the other leg

Advanced:

  • Kneel on all fours with your feet facing backwards and hands facing forwards. Keeping your back straight and head facing downwards – should be able to draw a straight flat line from head to buttocks
  • Extend your left arm in front of your body at the same time as your right leg both touching the ground.
  • Slowly raise your opposite arm and leg simultaneously to trunk height (no higher), Hold for 5 seconds.
  • Lower both limbs back to touch the ground before repeating up to 10 times

Upper Spine Exercises

Overhead Stretch

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart
  • Interlock fingers in front of your body and raise above head with palms facing up
  • Push back and up, feel stretch in upper spine and shoulders
  • Hold for 10 seconds, then relax arms by side

 

Overhead Reach

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart
  • Raise both arms overhead with palms facing forward
  • Reach for ceiling with right arm, hold for 5 seconds and repeat with left
  • Should feel a stretch from shoulders to waist, relax arms down by your side

 

Cervical Stretch

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart
  • Lower chin to chest or until restriction is felt and hold for 5 seconds
  • Return head to center and turn to left and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat for right

 

Lateral Rotation

  • Place your left hand on your right shoulder and rotate head to left until restriction is felt.
  • Hold for 5 seconds and repeat on other side

Yaksich Osteopathic Clinics

For over 50 years and thousands of patients, the Yaksich osteopath clinic has been helping West Australians by providing quality health care pain management for back, neck and shoulder injury. Yaksich osteopathy clinic is a member of Osteopathy Australia and offer allied osteopathic medicine, rehabilitation & remedial therapy.