Low Back Saver- Hip Hinge Exercise by Christine Ecclestone
This low back exercise uses feedback from a stick to teach us how to bend through the hips without changing the position of your back! To put less force through the low back and minimize the risk of a back injury, it is important to bend through the hips. The hip hinge also helps as a way to do bending without pain for someone who already has a back injury. I love this exercise because it is a great way to learn how to move through the hips without bending the back! Eventually the goal is to use that pattern without the stick when doing tasks like unloading the dishwasher.
How-To Steps:
- Use a stick, broom or dowel and hold it in contact with your spine from the back of the head to the tailbone
- Shoot the hips backwards and bend the torso forwards, without any changes to the contact points of the stick
- Bend until you feel tension in the hamstrings and then stand
*Do one set of 10, 5x a day to help curb those habits.
*Never do an exercise that causes you pain*