Trunk Rotation
- The patient begins this exercise by lying on their back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor with the arms abducted to 90 degrees and both palms facing the ceiling.
- Place a small ball between the patient’s knees and ask them to hold the ball between the knees as they flex the hips up to 90 degrees.
- Ask the patient to find a neutral lumbar spine with the hips flexed by rotating the pelvis to 6 and 12 o’clock and finding the midpoint.
- Instruct the patient to take a deep breath as they slowly lower their legs to the left side, only lowering as far as they can while keeping the right shoulder blade on the ground.
- To complete the entire pattern ask the patient to turn their head to the right, and externally rotate the right arm and internally rotate the left arm so that the left palm is now facing the ground.
- Instruct the patient to exhale and use their abdominals to bring the legs back to the midline.
- Have them repeat the rotation to the right side, working slowly back and forth 3 to 5 times coordinating the head and arm rotations with the lower trunk rotation.
- The patient increases the number of repetitions as their strength and control improves.
