Pelvic tilt: Lie on your back with your knees bent
and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal
muscles and push your lower back into the floor. Hold this
position for 5 seconds, then relax. Do 3 sets of 10.
Partial curl: Lie on your back with your knees bent and
your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach
muscles. Tuck your chin to your chest. With your hands
stretched out in front of you, curl your upper body
forward until your shoulders clear the floor. Hold this
position for 3 seconds. Don't hold your breath. It
helps to breathe out as you lift your shoulders up.
Relax back to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build to 3
sets of 10. To challenge yourself, clasp your hands
behind your head and keep your elbows out to the side.
Gluteal stretch: Lie on your back with both knees bent.
Rest the ankle of one leg over the knee of your other
leg. Grasp the thigh of the bottom leg and pull toward
your chest. You will feel a stretch along the buttocks
and possibly along the outside of your hip. Hold the
stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times with each
leg.
Extension exercise: Lie face down on the floor
for 5 minutes. If this hurts too much, lie face down
with a pillow under your stomach. This should relieve
your leg or back pain. When you can lie on your stomach
for 5 minutes without a pillow, then you can continue with
the rest of this exercise.
After lying on your stomach for 5 minutes, prop yourself
up on your elbows for another 5 minutes. Lie flat again
for 1 minute, then press down on your hands and extend
your elbows while keeping your hips flat on the floor.
Hold for 1 second and lower yourself to the floor.
Repeat 10 times. Do 4 sets. Rest for 2 minutes between
sets. You should have no pain in your legs when you do
this, but it is normal to feel pain in your lower back.
Do this several times a day.
