Lisgar Sports Injury Massage

Sunny Maya Registered Massage Therapy Clinic 

Since 1989

Exercises to Get the Ouch out

Ball Leg Lift to

Strengthen the important small back muscles

Exercise buffs and Athletes or just starting out: Before starting the exercises or disgarding them as trivial and unimportant  some points to keep in mind.

1. Make sure your physician recommends exercise for you. Understand any limitations you may have.

2. Most think fitness training is to concentrate on strength and exercise of the large muscles. But sore backs especially, often results from neglect of the small muscles that stabilize the spinal column. Weakness in the stabilizers leaves some muscles in chronic spasm no matter how great we strengthen the large muscles.

3. These exercises work. They do not lie. And you can prove it to yourself.

4. Sunny Maya offers fitness advice as part of massage treatment  regimen. Massage helps to loosen and stretch muscles and exercise helps to maintain the flexibility of those muscles. Take advantage of sessions with Sunny to improve body condition and a massage that leaves you feeling ready to take on all challenges.

5. These ball exercises are in essence the most often overlooked - the management of the small muscles of the back. Starting here and getting these muscles stronger and more flexible will build on all other stregth and flexibility exercises.

	Feet flat on the floor back straight and vertical. Breath slowly and try and relax keeping the torso straight.  Look at my link image to see the difference between correct and actual back position. Work to adjust your position so that the back is vertical. Using a mirror or a spotter is essential to make it work for you. This position starts the training of your back muscles to memorize the correct  alignment. It is not as easy as it looks.
	Once getting comfort and a sense of the vertical alignment sitting on the ball lift a leg a few inches off the floor. Using the mirror or spotter get the back in vertical alignment. As you lift the leg the hips will shift, bring the hips back to centre and hold for as long as you can. 5 minutes for each leg is a great start. The ability to balance and do a leg lift at first is not usually great, and if so that tells you  the back muscles are weak and need a lot of attention. AS you build strength the leg lift will become effortless. But remember to focus on a straight spine.
	Note the hips are not aligned with the back. Focus on getting the vertical line from butt to head.
	That's better.

Let's work on more back muscles

	The rest position, on your back arms out from your sides slightly. Ankles and calves supported on the ball
	Raise up slowly  maintaining balance and keeping you body in a straight line. Best to not lock you knees keep them bent very slightly. Hold for a long count of 10, then relax for 10.  Work up to a set of 30.
	Same as previous exercise, but cross arms on chest and maintain for 10 seconds, rest 10 and repeat for 10 repetitions to start. Caution do not put pressure on the neck, weight is on the shoulders and shoulder blades.
	Do not let your seat drop, keep a straight line between toes and shoulders.
	In the relaxed position with the seat resting on the floor keep the body aligned and hold the position for a count of 10 before going into the elevated position
	Repetitions should start at 1 set at 10 and increase to 3 sets of 30. Keep the alignment.