Heel Sitting to Kneeling

  • The patient starts by sitting on their heels with the trunk erect.
  • Ask the patient to find a neutral lumbar spine by rotating the pelvis toward 12:00 then 6:00 and find the midpoint.
  • Instruct the patient to draw the belly in and hold a neutral lumbar spine.
  • From this position and while maintaining a neutral lumbar spine, instruct the patient to rise up to a kneeling position by extending through their hips and not through the lumbar spine.
  • Once in the kneeling position the patient slowly reverses back to heel sitting, again by moving through the hips and not through the back.
  • Instruct the patient to repeat 3-5 times and increase the reps as their strength improves.
  • This exercise helps to improve a patient’s standing tolerance and strengthen the quadriceps.
  • Make sure that the patient’s lumbar spine stays neutral throughout the exercise.
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