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                            Image courtesy of Susanne Riber.

As a physical therapy aide, you should be aware of a number of exercises that may be beneficial in promoting healing of lower back pain.  The following exercies have proven very effective for me during my career. 

Have the patient lie on his or her back with a rolled blanket or small pillow under the knees and with hands held beside the head; in this position, have the patient tilt the pelvis to flatten the lower back by pulling up and in with the lower abdominal muscles; instruct the patient to hold the back flat and breathe easily in and out; relax the muscles of the upper abdomen.

Instruct the patient to lie supine with knees bent and feet placed flat on the table.  With hands beside the head the pelvis should tilt to flatten the lower back.  In this position, straighten the legs as much as possible.  Return the knees to a bent position, one leg at a time.

The patient should sit with legs extended forward.  Place a rolled blanket under the knees to allow a slight bend.  Then, pull in with the abdominal muscles, keeping the pelvis tilted back.  Reach toward the toes, bending the lower back.

If you’ve had anyexperience working with these particular methods, be sure to share your story in the comments section.

Wade Balance, PTA
Physical Therapy Aide Instructor
Ashworth University

This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 8:09 am and is filed under Physical Therapy, Patients, Elderly, Exercise, Motivation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.