Pelvic tilt

• Lie on your back with both legs bent at the hips and knees, feet flat on the floor.
• Pull abdomen in firmly, roll the hips backward and flatten the low back against the floor.
• Repeat.

Straight leg raise

• Lie on back with both legs bent at the knee, feet resting on the floor.
• Slowly bring one knee to chest, then move leg up toward vertical position.
• Return the leg to the floor.
• Rest and repeat with the other leg.

Press-ups

• Use only if advised by your doctor or therapist.
• Lie face down with hands at shoulders, palms flat.
• Press up upper half of body with lower half relaxed.
• Keep hips down and feel a stretch in the lower back.
• Lower to starting position.

  Note: Press-ups can become your basic tool for pain prevention if you have disc-related back pain. It is often recommended that you begin and end every set of exercises with a few press-ups.

Abdominal strengthening

• Lie on your back with both legs bent at the hips and knees, feet flat on the floor.
• Place your hands flat on the front of your thighs.
• Press your hands firmly against your thighs and toward the knees.
• Return arms and head to the floor and rest.
• Repeat.

Quadriceps strengthening

• Stand with back to a wall, feet approximately 3 inches away from the baseboard.
• Decrease the hollow in your back by pressing the small of your back against the wall.
• Slowly slide down the wall approximately 6 - 10 inches.
• Hold as long as you can.
• Return to standing position.
• Repeat. Maintain the partial squat position for longer and longer periods of time.

  Note: Do not slide low enough to cause knee pain.

Knee to chest

• Lie on back with both knees bent, feet resting on the floor.
• Slowly bring one knee up to chest and then the other knee.
• With both hands grasp knees and gently pull toward the chest.
• Return one foot and then the other foot slowly to the mat with knee bent.

  Progression: When able, progress to bringing both knees to chest at the same time.

Heel-cord stretch

• Stand facing a wall or waist-high sturdy piece of furniture.
• Keeping your back straight, place one foot forward.
• Keep your feet straight, heels against the floor.
• Place hands on the wall.
• Gently lunge forward onto the forward leg, bending the knee and keeping the back leg straight.
• Don't lift your heels off the floor.
• You should feel a pull in calf and behind knee of the back leg.

  Progression: Stand with balls of feet on a 3 - 4" high board, be sure it is secure. Allow your heels to drop below the level of the balls of the feet. Keep your back and knees straight and hold for a slow count of 5.

Shoulder stretch

• Lie on back with legs bent at the knees, and arms at your side.
• Keeping elbows straight, lift one arm slowly up in front of face and completely over your head.
• Return the straight arm to your side.
• Repeat with the other arm. Progression: Do exercise with both arms at the same time, also in the sitting position and/or standing.