• Check that your posture is returning to normal, from stooped to upright.
• Check that your shoulder movements are returning to pre-op’ range of motion.
• Recover the tone and strength in your tummy muscles.
• Abdominal muscle strength helps to keep your back healthy.
• Tummy muscles can be ‘switched off’ by pain.

Good Posture – Stand Tall
Imagine a piece of string Is attached to the crown of your head and is lifting you up.

Good Posture – Sit tall, avoid slumping or overstretching

Shoulder Movements

• Sideways and up
• Forwards and up  
• Behind your neck
• Behind your back
• Across to your  opposite shoulder

1. Switch on Your Tummy Muscles

• Lie on your back, hands on tummy, knees bent, feet resting on floor, legs hip width apart.
• ‘Long’ neck and back but keep the natural curve in your low back.
• Breathe in slowly and deeply.
• Breathing out, let your tummy button sink towards your spine without flattening or changing the position of your low back.
• Gently tighten your muscles below your tummy button, hold the tension for five seconds and continue breathing.
• Aim for 5-10 of these contractions several times a day.
• Concentrate on contracting the muscles below your belly button during each breath out.

2. Tummy Toning Exercises

• Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on floor, arms by your side.
•  Tighten your tummy muscles as in exercise1.
•  Press the small of your back against the floor.
•  Hold the position for 5 seconds, let go.

3. Heel slide

• Lie on the floor with knees bent, arms by your sides.
• Hold your tummy in, as in exercise 1.
• Keep one leg stationary.
• Slowly slide the opposite leg out until it’s straight with the floor.
• Slide it back in to the starting position.
• Alternate, extending the other leg out and then back. 
• Keep the natural curve of your spine without flattening your back.
• Contracting your abdominal muscles helps to keep your pelvis still whilst your leg moves and your lower tummy muscles work.
• This helps train your tummy muscles to support your spine.

4. Single leg extension

• Lie on the floor with knees bent and arms at your sides.
• Tighten your tummy in as in exercise 1.
• Raise one leg to ‘table top’ position (knees bent in line with hip, shin parallel to the floor).
• Slowly stretch the lifted leg out without arching your back.
• Return your leg to table top position.
• Bring your foot back down to the starting position.
• Switch sides.
• Progress with this until you can extend the leg out and hover it about 2-3 inches above the floor
• Work up to five repetitions on each side without stopping.
• Build to 20 "hovering" repetitions or more on each side without allowing your back or spine to move.

5. Heel Taps

• Lie on the floor, tighten your tummy muscles as in exercise 1. and bring your legs up one at a time to ‘table top’ position 
  (knees bent and over hips, shins parallel to floor).
• Keep one leg stationary, slowly lower other foot down to the floor (keeping knee bent) and back up to table top.
• Keep your low back and spine still throughout.
• Repeat on the opposite side.

6. Knee Rolling

• On your back, knees bent, feet on the floor.
• Roll your knees down to on one side, followed by your pelvis, keep your shoulders on the floor if possible.
• Take a deep breath in and out to stretch, return to the starting point.
• Alternate 8 to 10 times.  

7. Bridging

• Lie flat on the floor, hands resting by your sides. Feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart, knees bent.
• Contract your abdominals, low back, glutes and slowly lift from tailbone up to form a straight line from your knees, through your hips to your shoulders.
• Hold this position for a few seconds, then slowly lower. The whole cycle of lift, hold and lower  takes at least ten seconds.

8. Stretch

• Lie on the floor face down. Put your hands at your sides at shoulder level.
• Keep your back relaxed hips on the floor, push shoulders up, to rest on your forearms.
• Exhale when you reach the top, let your mid back sag as you exhale.
• Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
• Push only to the point of tension, maintain your hips on the floor.
• Don’t push into pain, bounce, or force the movement.
• You should have a gentle curve in your back as you push up,
• No severe curvatures in one location.

These exercises have been developed in partnership with Keeping Abreast.