Abdominal Muscle Strain Rehabilitation Exercises

You may do the first 2 exercises right away. You may do the other exercises when the pain is gone.

• Pelvic tilt: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your lower back into the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then relax. Do 3 sets of 10.

  As the pelvic tilt becomes easier, you can progress to an exercise called the dead bug.

• Dead bug exercise: Lie on your back with your knees bent, arms at your sides, and feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your lower back into the floor. While keeping your abdominals tight, lift up one leg several inches off the floor, hold for 5 seconds, then lower it. Repeat this exercise with the opposite leg. Then lift your arm over your head, hold for 5 seconds, then lower it. Repeat with the opposite arm. Do 5 repetitions with each leg and arm. Once this exercise becomes easy, raise one leg and the opposite arm together. Hold for 5 seconds. Lower your arm and leg and raise the opposite arm and leg up and hold for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of 5.
• Partial curl: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles. Tuck your chin to your chest. With your hands stretched out in front of you, curl your upper body forward until your shoulders clear the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Don't hold your breath. It helps to breathe out as you lift your shoulders up. Relax. Repeat 10 times. Build to 3 sets of 10. To challenge yourself, clasp your hands behind your head and keep your elbows out to the side.

  After you have become good at the partial curl you can do a diagonal curl to help strengthen your oblique abdominal muscles.

• Diagonal curl: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Stretch your arms out in front of you or clasp your hands behind your neck to support your head. Tighten your stomach muscles and lift your head and shoulders off of the floor while rotating your trunk toward the right. Make sure you don't use your arms to lift your body off the floor. Hold this for 3 seconds. Return to the starting position. Then rotate toward your left side. Do this 10 times on each side. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Lower abdominal exercise: Lie on your back with one knee bent at a 90 degree angle so your shin is horizontal. Your other foot should be just above the floor. Hold yourself in a pelvic tilt by tightening your abdominal muscles and pushing your lower back into the floor. Your knees should be pointed toward the ceiling. Slowly lower and straighten the top leg until the foot barely touches the floor and then bring it back up to the starting position. Do the same with your other leg. Remember to hold the pelvic tilt while you lower each leg. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.