VIDEO 16. Stability-Ball Hamstring Curl Exercise

The Stability-Ball Hamstring Curl is an exercise that strengthens the muscles of the lower extremities, especially the hamstrings, as well as the core and gluteal muscles.

Patient lying on her back on a mat, place the back of her legs and heels on the ball. Position her ankles slightly dorsiflexed and hip-width apart on the ball. Slowly contract the abdominal muscles to flatten the lower back on the floor. She tries to maintain this slight muscle contraction throughout the exercise. Extends the arms to the side of the torso with the palms facing the floor. Exhales slowly while maintaining the abdominal contraction and extends the hips off the floor. At the same time, she presses her lower legs and the back of the heels against the ball for more stability. Continue pressing upwards until the legs and hips are straight and the torso and legs are in line. Exhale and slowly contract the hamstrings to move the heels towards the hip, while plantar flexing the ankles to put the soles of the feet on the ball. She continues to pull her heels towards her hips, lifting her hips even higher off the ground. Keeping parallel to her upper thighs, she maintains a stable torso. Inhale and slowly lower herself back to the starting position.

Summary (will be given in e manual)

As mentioned earlier, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise per day on most days of the week, unless you have a medical or pregnancy-related complication. In this context, it is important to determine the appropriate exercise approach for pregnant with low back pain. Attention should be paid to the pregnant flexibility, mobility, the severity of low back pain, the absence of pain during exercise, and the absence of other disturbing symptoms. Exercise frequency and intensity have not been clearly determined, but it is important that they are appropriate exercises for the second trimester. Especially flexibility exercises and light strengthening exercises are very important for pregnant with low back pain in the second trimester. It should not be forgotten that it will also positively affect the psychosocial state of the pregnant woman and prepare her.

In summary, now look once again at what a pregnant with low back pain in second trimester should pay attention to when deciding on a physiotherapy program.

1. You should explain the exercises to the patient. You need to make sure that the patient will perform the exercises correctly and will not injure himself. The type of exercise recommended and taught should be based on the patient’s pain severity and whether it aggravates the pain.

2. You should make sure that the exercise level is at a level that does not cause the patient to excessively increase his heart rate. For this reason, do not do this by warning the patient, such as make sure your heart rate does not exceed 140. Instead of; You should be able to talk during exercise, but if you are unable to sing, you should stop and rest.

3. You should not keep the patient in the supine position for a long time during all physiotherapeutic approaches. This may put pressure on the superior vena cava and result in syncope or hypotensive syndrome. (This situation is mostly seen in the 25-30th week, that is, in the 3rd trimester.) However, caution should still be taken while exercising.

4. Exercises to strengthen the hip, waist and abdominal muscles are very important for pregnant women experiencing low back pain. However, low back pain, especially when accompanied by loss of sensation and loss of strength, is a red flag for emergencies and should be evaluated by a gynecologist.

5. The next important point is to maintain symmetry in bilateral exercises. In this type of therapeutic approaches, loading on one side is considered incorrect exercise and may cause injury to the pregnant woman. Body alignment and correct application are important when performing exercises. 6. Finally, what you cannot forget is that the pregnant woman will also benefit from these exercises in the postpartum period. The level of exercise and physical activity during the second trimester will both pave the way for an easy and painless birth and support rapid recovery and recovery in the postpartum period.