Safe and Therapeutic Exercise to Perform After Injury

Partial Sit-ups

  • Start just like a normal sit-up
  • Raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor
  • Hold this position for five seconds
  • Relax
  • Repeat as many times as possible the goal being to increase your reps each day
  • Recommended for people with back pain
  • Works out the same muscle groups as regular sit-ups without the added stress on the lower back

Knee to Chest

  • Start this exercise the same way you would a partial sit up
  • Draw one of your knees to your chest using both hands for support
  • Hold this position to the count of ten
  • Slowly release it to the resting position
  • Perform four to five repetitions
  • Repeat with your other leg
  • Try both legs at the same time

Hip Roll

  1. Start by lying flat on your back with your arms extended out to the side
  2. Bend your knees and lift your feet off of the ground
  3. Rotate your hips to the side so that your legs are parallel with the floor
  4. Rotate from side to side for 5 to 10 repetitions

Lower Back Extension

  1. Start by lying flat on your stomach with your hands to your side
  2. Lift your head and upper body off of the ground
  3. Using the muscles in your lower back
  4. Hold this position for 4 to 5 seconds and then lower yourself back down
  5. Repeat 10 to 15 times

Cat-Camel

  1. Start on all fours with hands straight beneath your shoulders and knees straight beneath your hips with your back straight
  2. Use your abdominal muscles to push your back towards the ceiling, arching
  3. Your head should point down towards the floor
  4. Drop your back so that your lower back extends
  5. Your head should raise as your back extends
  6. Make sure to keep your elbows straight the entire time, only your spine should be moving
  7. Repeat this 12 to 15 times

Back Extension

  1. Requires a stability ball
  2. Start by lying with your stomach on the stability ball and your hands behind your head
  3. Tighten your abdominal muscles
  4. Use your lower back muscles by contracting your glutes to lift your shoulders and chest off the ball

Superman

  1. Start by Lying face down with your arms extended above your head
  2. Tighten your abdominal muscles
  3. Lift your arms and legs off the ground
  4. Hold this for roughly 30 seconds and then release
  5. DO NOT hold your breath during this exercise
  6. Breathe evenly

Double leg lifts

  1. Requires a stability ball
  2. Start by lying face down
  3. Place your hands on the floor in front of the ball
  4. Raise both legs off of the floor until your body is horizontal
  5. Hold the position for roughly 10 seconds
  6. Lower your legs back down to the floor and repeat 5 to 10 times

Spinal Rotation

  1. Start by sitting down in a chair
  2. Reach one arm across your stomach
  3. Grasp the opposite side of the chair
  4. Look over the shoulder while rotating your mid to lower back
  5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds

External Shoulder Rotation

  1. This exercise is best performed with a dumbbell
  2. Start by lying on your right side with your right arm folded under your head
  3. Your upper left arm needs to be parallel to your torso
  4. Bend at the elbow so that your forearm is lying across your stomach with your hand on the floor
  5. By rotating your shoulder, lift your forearm so that it is perpendicular to the side of your body
  6. Switch to your other side and repeat

Internal Shoulder Rotation

  1. Start by lying on your right side as described above
  2. Keep your right hand free
  3. Keep your right arm next to your body and bend at the elbow
  4. Rotate your shoulder to move your forearm
  5. Start flat on the floor
  6. Then rotate it into your body so that your forearm is flat across your stomach
  7. Repeat this motion 10 to 15 times and use a dumbbell for best results

Lateral Deltoid Raise

  1. Start with your arms to the side of your body
  2. Palms facing thighs
  3. Tighten the abdominals
  4. Bend the knees slightly
  5. Position the feet about shoulder-width apart
  6. Raise arms straight out to your sides until they are shoulder height
  7. Hold that position briefly, and slowly return your arms to your sides

Front Deltoid Raise

  1. Start with your arms in front of your body
  2. Palms facing the thighs
  3. Tighten the abdominals
  4. Bend the knees slightly
  5. Position the feet about shoulder-width apart
  6. Raise your arms straight out in front of you until they are shoulder height
  7. Hold that position briefly, and slowly lower your arms

Single-arm Lat Pulldown

  1. Start with both hands overhead holding an elastic resistance band
  2. Engage the abdominals
  3. Bend the knees slightly
  4. Position the feet about shoulder-width apart
  5. Pull downward to the side with one arm
  6. Adduct at the shoulder until the upper arm is next to the torso
  7. Pause
  8. Return slowly to the starting position
  9. Keep arms slightly in front of the face to protect the back and shoulders

Stability Ball Push-ups

  1. Start with the ball under your stomach
  2. Hands on the floor in front of you
  3. Roll forward slowly until your shins are balancing on the stability ball
  4. Perform push-ups while remaining balanced on stability ball

Side Lumbar Bridge

  1. Start by lying on one side with your legs straight
  2. Support the upper body by keeping the elbow directly beneath the shoulder
  3. Be careful not to let the top hip rotate forward
  4. Engage the abdominals and use the torso to lift the hips
  5. Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds
  6. Maintain a neutral neck and spine position

Single-Leg Reverse Curl

  1. Start by lying on your back
  2. Flex one knee
  3. Foot flat on the floor
  4. The other leg should be straight out and slightly raised off the ground
  5. Extend arms flat along body and maintain neutral alignment in the cervical spine
  6. Lift the working knee and leg in an upward diagonal direction over the belly button
  7. Pause
  8. Slowly lower the leg to the starting position
  9. Repeat with other leg

Crunch with Stability Ball

  1. Start by lying down with your back on the stability ball
  2. Hands behind your head or folded across your chest
  3. Maintain a backwards-pelvic tilt
  4. Raise shoulder blades off the ball
  5. Return to the starting position

Neck Flexion

  1. Start by standing and facing the wall
  2. Hold the stability ball at forehead height
  3. Use your neck muscles to push your forehead into the stability ball
  4. Relax

Neck Extension

  1. Start by standing and facing away from the wall
  2. Hold the stability ball behind your head
  3. Push back of head into the ball

Neck Lateral

  1. Start by standing sideways to the wall
  2. Hold the stability ball above your shoulder at the side of your head
  3. Push side of heads laterally into the ball

Neck Stretches

  1. Start by bringing your ear to your shoulder
  2. Let your neck to sit in that position for 5 to 7 seconds
  3. Force your ear toward your shoulder
  4. Feel the stretch of your neck muscle on the opposite side
  5. Bring head back as if you are looking toward the ceiling
  6. Feel the stretch in the muscles located on the front part of your neck
  7. Rotate your head toward your right or left shoulder
  8. Nod your head down
  9. Hold for a few seconds
  10. Repeat

Strength Building for Neck

  1. Start by putting your hand on your forehead
  2. Force your forehead against your hand to provide resistance
  3. You can do this in several sets of 6, 8, or 10 repetitions
  4. Place your hands on the back of your neck
  5. Force your head back while providing resistance with your hands

**If any of these exercises cause dizziness, fainting or loss of balance stop the exercise and immediately contact your local physician