Core Stabilization Exercises for Low Back Pain - The Bird Dog
Channel: Mobility Plus Sports Rehab
Date: 2020-06-14

Are you struggling with low back pain? Try this core stabilization exercises for low back pain relief ? Keep reading below 👇

Training the back extensors muscles is a challenge if the goal is to minimize spine load.  For example, the “superman” is a commonly prescribed spine extensor muscles exercise that involves lying on your stomach while extending the arm and legs.  This results in over 1300lbs of compression to a hyperextended spine!
In contrast, the Bird-dog exercise is a much wiser exercise as it spares the spine of high compressive loads and ensures stable patterns of muscle activity.  It challenges both the lumbar (low back) and thoracic (mid-back) portion of the deep spinal stabilizers muscles with minimal spine loading. We see this exercise performed incorrectly regularly so we wanted to show you how we do it in the clinic 😊

Video Outline
0:00 Intro to Bird dog
0:10 Bird dog set-up
0:40 Position #1

1️⃣- Get on all fours with your hands underneath the shoulders or slightly in front and feet under the hips. Then, create tension in your body by pressing both hands into the floor to push your chest away and try to spread the floor apart underneath you. 

2️⃣- Without shifting or rotating your hips, drive one leg backwards by reaching your heel behind you. Then raise the opposite side arm up overhead in a straight line without letting the head drop to the floor. Maintain a tall spine!

3️⃣- Hold this opposite extended position for 8-10 seconds on each side. The common mistake here is trying to ‘rep it out’, which causes excessive movement in the hips, upper back and neck and not effectively targeting the deep core stabilizers of the spine. 

The goal is to be able to hold the limbs parallel to the floor for about 8-10 seconds.  Good form includes a neutral spine and abdominal bracing. 

❗Please remember, you should NOT ❌feel more low back pain while doing this exercise. If you do and have questions, please STOP the exercise and give us a call!

At Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, we always start with a thorough exam to make sure we understand your case and provide you with personalized ways to overcome them. We help our patients get rid of their chronic pain quickly and prevent it from coming back. As always, We are here for you!🧡💛💚💙

How do we do this? We do so by educating our patients with self-management strategies and providing pain relief in the office. 

Tell us how many other tips you tried but didn't work? How did they work out for you? Leave the appropriate emoji below!

Want help with your low back pain? 🩺  Click on the link in bio ☝🏼to schedule a complimentary phone consultation with Dr. Li to find out how!

🤜🏼🤛🏼Give it a try! Comment below if you have any questions!

👉🏼If you like this video, make sure you give it  👍 and SHARE it with a friend who has frequent low back pain or needs help with their back pain!💪🏼

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