Core & Abdominal exercises

Here are a few different exercises that can be used to strengthen the core at home – no equipment required!

The exercises range in their difficulty so find an exercise that you can do quite comfortably and then progress onto harder variations.

Remember, core strength is NOT associated with reduced risk of lower back pain. In fact, many people with lower back have an OVER active core, not an underactive core.

If you find these exercises exacerbate your back pain, stop and choose an exercise that doesn’t. If you’re still getting pain, discuss with your physiotherapist and they will be able to tailor exercises that will help improve the problem.

 

Balance training

When picking what exercise to do, choose one that is CHALLENGING for your balance. If it’s too easy, you won’t get better!

Balance training is important for elderly people to prevent falls and also for people with acute lower limb injuries such as an ankle sprain.

 

Single Leg Squat Progressions

The single leg squat is a basic but fantastic measure of overall function of the lower limb. It tests both strength and flexibility of the ankle, knee and hip. Having a good single leg squat can dramatically reduce your risk of sustaining a lower limb injury.

The 3 main points we look for are:

  1. Does the knee track straight forward over the toes (good) or does it collapse inwards (poor)?
  2. Does the trunk stay centred over the foot (good) or does it sway out to the side (poor)?
  3. Is there an even contribution from ankle, knee and hip (good) or is there a preference/dominance of one of the joints (poor)?
  4. Polkadot socks essential!

 

Sciatic Nerve Glides

An easy exercise to improve nerve pain by restoring blood flow to the nerve.

You should not feel any pain during the exercise, only some slight tension in the back of the leg.

Do 2 sets of 12, twice a day.