Half Kneeling Chops and Lifts

  • The patient starts in half kneeling with the left knee down and right knee up, with their right knee bent to a right angle so that their right knee is position over the right ankle.
  • The patient grasps a dowel in both hands with the palm of the right hand facing upwards (supinated) and the palm of the left hand facing down (pronated).
  • The patient is instructed to raise the dowel upwards to the right (lift). Then bring the dowel downwards towards the left (chop) so that they always lift towards the upside knee and always chop toward the downside knee.
  • Ask the patient to keep their head and eyes facing forward as they raise (lift) and lower (chop) the dowel in front of their body, keeping their trunk tall.
  • The trunk should remain still and the patient should try to maintain a neutral lumbar spine during the movement
  • Instruct the patient to repeat the movements 6-8 times then reverse their leg and hand positions to repeat the chop and lift to the left side.
  • The patient can begin this exercise with their knees initially separated for a more stable base and then bring the knees close together to increase the level of difficulty.
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