Welcome to Merrithew^® Rehab Month! The month of October will be dedicated to Rehab professionals looking for tips and tools, healthcare practitioners wanting to add Rehab to their offerings and anyone searching for Rehab training to improve their mobility, adopt injury prevention exercises, and more. To resonate with the theme, Merrithew brings an effective rehab exercise that targets the lumbar spine with a focus on deep stabilization of the back muscles.

The goal of this exercise:

We will be working on mobilizing the spine with this gentle flexion and extension exercise. Stabilization exercises are designed to reduce back pain, gain control over your movements while exercising or help you in performing daily tasks such as standing up.

Merrithew Master Instructor Trainer Wayne Seeto and Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer Rie Sakamoto guide us through this series of spinal exercises using the Rehab V2 Max^™ Reformer.

Start with both hands on the foot bar and feet against the shoulder rest. Position the hips down towards the heel. Take a deep breath in and exhale, pushing out the carriage by articulating through the lumbar spine. Hold this position and take a deep breath, then exhale to return to the original position. As you slowly repeat the movement, stay in the moment and pay attention to the spine and lower muscles.

Pro tip: Avoid moving your upper body while doing this exercise to isolate the work through your lower back muscles.

Please note that lumbar stabilization exercises are most effective when they're customized for each client. Healthcare practitioners should help clients develop a personalized plan that's best suited to address their individual needs, beginning with finding what works for them, through discussions, feedback, and examination.