Pilates Exercise: Assisted Knee Raises - Low Back Pain Exercise**

This is the first in a progression of lower back rehabilitation exercises. Your aim is to hold your pelvis absolutely steady while lifting your knee off the floor with minimal back pain.

Assisted Knee Raises:- Start Position

Lie on the floor in the Relaxation Position
Place Pillows behind your head and shoulders, use a towel to make a sling for your right leg (diagram).
Pelvic Neutral
Anchor your scapulas.
Chin gently tucked.

Assisted Knee Raises:- Action

Zip and hollow and breathe in.
(Breathing out): Using the towel sling for assistance, raise your right knee while keeping your pelvis absolutely still. Only take it as far as it will comfortably go.
(Breathing in): maintain "Zip and Hollow", and at the same time, return your leg to the start position.
Five times each leg!

Knee Raise (no Assistance):- Action

If you can do the assisted version with a stable pelvis & without pain, try it without the towel! - (see diagram). Assisted Knee Raises (Scroll right>>>>....)

Assisted Knee Raises, Start Position:-
Assisted Knee Raises, Action:-
Knee Raises, Start Position:-	Knee Raises, Action:-
What Assissted Knee Raises do:- Promotes stability of your lower back and pelvis during hip joint flexion. This is done by:- Improving the strength and/or control of your abdominal muscles so that only your hip joint moves. (Your spine does not move!) Giving you complete control with the sling so that you can work within the limits of your pain and abdominal muscle strength.

Watch Points for Assisted Knee Raises

The whole aim of the Assisted Knee Raise is to keep your pelvis and spine absolutely still!

Work slowly! Move within the limits of pain!
Don't let your pelvis move! The pelvic clock face looks straight up and never deviates.
If you cannot raise your knee with the aid of a towel assist, seek the help of a professional.

Comments

This exercise is safe for almost any low back pain, and you should use it as your starting exercise.
It is however especially useful for the kyphosis-lordosis posture type (see picture). This posture type is associated with weak abdominal muscles.

Reference

Shirley A Sahrman: "Movement Impairment Syndromes" Publ. Mosby, 2002 ISBN 0-8016-7205-8
Bruce Thomson Engage Gluteus maximus!
Shirley A Sahrmann: Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes; Publ. Mosby 2002