A Breathing Exercise That Will Make Your Kids Proud
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 11:57PM | tagged McKenzie Method, McKenzie exercise, back pain, back pain when seated, back pain when sitting, do the McKenzie method lumbar, extension low back pain, health, lumbar stabilization exercises, mckenzie method exercises how to, mckenzie method how to, waking up pain Share Article | Email Article Breathing exercises are employed in Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, performance enhancement in professional athletes and countless other wellness interventions.
Yet most people I see in the office for back pain have suboptimal breathing patterns. I teach people how to perform abdominal bracing exercises and many have trouble separating out breathing muscles from the lumbar stabilizing muscles in the abdominal wall.
On this note I found a very interesting study in the North American Journal of Sports Therapy.[i] The authors describe a therapeutic exercise that “promotes optimal posture (diaphragm and lumbar spine position), and neuromuscular control of the deep abdominals, diaphragm, and pelvic floor (lumbar-pelvic stabilization).”
The exercise was designed to optimize breathing and enhance both posture and stability in order to improve function and/or decrease pain.
Following is a description of the exercise called “90/90 bridge with ball and balloon”. Someday we will think up a catchier name for this.
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall and knees and hips bent at a 90-degree angle
- Place a 4-6 inch ball between your knees
- Place your right arm above your head and a balloon in your left hand
- Inhale through your nose and as you exhale through your mouth, perform a pelvic tilt so that your tailbone is raised slightly off the mat. Keep low back flat on the mat. Do not press your feet into the wall, instead pull down with your heels
- You should feel the back of your thighs and inner thighs engage, keeping pressure on the ball. Maintain this position for the remainder of the exercise
- Now inhale through your nose and slowly blow out into the balloon
- Pause three seconds with your tongue positioned on the roof of your mouth to prevent airflow out of the balloon
- Without pinching the neck of the balloon and keeping your tongue on the roof of your mouth, inhale again through your nose
- Slowly blow out as you stabilize the balloon with your left hand
- Do not strain your neck or cheeks as you blow
- After the fourth breath in, pinch the balloon neck and remove it from your mouth. Let the air out of the balloon
- Relax and repeat the sequence 4 more times
[i] N Am J Sports Phys Ther. 2010 September; 5(3): 179–188.
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