1Cervical Retraction
- Stand or sit with an upright posture.
- Draw the chin slightly down and back.
- The movement you are aiming for is a horizontal translation, like a lollypop on a stick.
- A prompt which may be helpful is “imagine giving yourself a double chin”.
- You will feel a gentle activation of the muscles in the anterior aspect of the neck.
2Lumbar Extension
- Stand with your hands in the small of your back.
- Begin to lean backwards, within comfortable limits.
- As you progress through the repetitions, continue easing into the range of motion available to you.
- Repeat as per Physiotherapist guidelines.
3Lumbar Extension
- Lying on your stomach, placing your hands under your shoulders.
- Breathe in and on the breathe out, gently press through the palm of hands.
- Begin to lift your chest off the mat while straightening your arms.
- Make sure to keep your hips firmly pressed into the floor and keep your buttocks relaxed.
- Start by going nice and slowly into the movement, only going to the limit of your available movement.
- Do not push into pain.
- Hold the position for a few seconds at the top.
- Lower your chest slowly and return to the starting position.
- Repeat as instructed by your physiotherapist.
Variation for in the morning and night
4Book Opening
- Lie on your side with your head supported and your knees bent up to 80-90 degrees.
- Place your arms in front of you in front of your chest with hands together.
- Lift your top arm up and over your body towards the floor behind you drawing a semicircle.
- Rotate with the breastbone and ensure the pelvis remains still.
- Hold at the end of movement for a breath.
- Lift the arm up and reverse the semicircle movement until back at the start.
- Complete as per Physiotherapist guidelines.
5Bridge
- Start by lying on your back (palms down for more stability).
- Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart.
- Push your feet into the floor, contract your glutes and lift your hips up from the ground until your body make a straight line from your shoulders to your knees (this is the bridge position).
- Slowly return your hips to the ground and repeat.
6Hip Abduction
- Position yourself in side lying with the target side uppermost.
- You can perform this lying down completely, or as shown in the video with the bottom elbow bent to 90 degrees directly underneath the shoulder.
- Extend the top leg so the knee is straight.
- Take the heel to the back of the mat.
- Maintain a stacked position in the pelvis, ensuring the hip doesn’t roll out with the leg.
- Repeat as per Physiotherapists instructions.
7Row
- Secure the resistance band to a door handle or pole.
- Keep the resistance point in line with the belly button.
- With a proud chest and thumbs pointing towards the roof, pull the band. back maintaining the bend in the elbow.
- As you pull back, focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together.
- Control the return.