Injury Rehab Exercises to Try at Home

Woman stretching in park

Last Updated on October 29, 2021

 

Woman stretching in park

Rehabbing from an injury can be a serious process. In some cases, it only takes a couple of weeks to rehab from an injury, while in other cases, it can take months. 

Luckily, there’s a lot that you can do to ensure the rehabilitation process goes smoothly. You can see a chiropractor, acupuncturist, or massage therapist to help you recover from your injury. To help expedite the recovery process, you may also want to consider trying injury rehab exercises at home. 

What exercises should you be doing? Inner Gate Health & Wellness has provided this resource for your question. Read below to learn about the best injury rehab exercises you can do from the comfort of your home! 

Related: Arsenic Detoxification 

1. Pelvic Tilts 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over one million American workers suffer from back injuries each year. 

If you’ve recently injured your back, doing a pelvic tilt exercise at home can help you in the rehabilitation process. To perform a pelvic tilt, lie with your back flat on the floor and your knees bent. Then, set your hands on your hips and slowly tilt your pelvis toward then away from your rib cage. 

You can continue this movement for around a minute to feel relief in your lower back. When performing the pelvic tilt, remember to breathe and engage your abdominal muscles. Also, make sure your bottom stays flat on the floor. If you need to, you can modify the exercise by doing a standing version of the pelvic tilt. This will involve standing up and placing your back against a wall. 

If you’re looking for something a little more challenging, you can try the kneeling pelvic tilt. For this movement, kneel on all fours and align your wrists underneath your shoulders. Breathe in, and as you exhale, pull upward with your abs while rounding your back. Then, slowly return to a neutral position. 

Related: Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Treatment 

2. Bird Dog Exercise 

Woman doing bird dog  exercise on yoga mat

Source: The Simplest Core Exercise Everyone Should Be Doing

While this exercise may have a funny name, it’s another great movement for providing back relief. To perform the bird dog exercise, get on your hands and knees and tighten your core. 

Then, extend one arm straight forward and extend your opposite leg straight behind you. Hold the pose for a few seconds before bringing your arm and leg back to the center. Do several reps on one side before switching to the other. 

3. Single Leg Bridge 

Hamstring injuries can be debilitating, and similar to back injuries if you don’t rehabilitate properly, one small injury can turn into a chronic issue. To rehabilitate your hamstring properly, you need to find ways to continue to use it without over-exerting yourself.  

If you’re recovering from a hamstring injury, the single-leg bridge is a great exercise to try out. This exercise is great because in addition to strengthening your hamstrings, it also strengthens your glutes. Having stronger glutes will help you avoid hamstring injuries in the future. 

To perform this movement, lie on the ground with your back against the floor and bend your knees. Raise one leg off the ground, and as you do so, activate your glutes. While keeping your leg raised, push your heel into the floor with your other leg and slowly raise your hips off the floor. 

Keep your core, hamstrings, and glutes engaged, and keep your shoulders flat on the ground. Slowly lower your leg back toward the ground, and repeat the exercise 10 times before switching to the other side. 

4. Hamstring Curl 

Woman stretching on a yoga mat

Source: 22 Leg Exercises for Women

When most of us think of hamstring curls, we think of doing them in the gym on a machine with heavyweights. While this type of exercise is great for building muscle in your legs, you can also perform a hamstring curl at home that helps you rehabilitate from an injury. 

To perform an at-home hamstring curl, lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you. It’s a good idea to set a pillow under your stomach to make you feel more comfortable. Then, slowly bend your knee toward your buttock, stopping when you feel resistance. 

You can continue the motion 10 times on one side before switching to the other side. 

5. Pendulum Swing 

In addition to back and hamstring injuries, shoulder injuries are also very common. Like other injuries, shoulder injuries can result in severe pain and significantly impact your quality of life. 

In most cases, shoulder injuries are a result of overuse from repetitive motions. If you work in construction or some other job that requires physical labor, there’s a good chance you’ll suffer from a shoulder injury at some point in your career. 

Luckily, there’s an easy at-home exercise you can perform to help you recover from a shoulder injury. One of the best shoulder exercises to try out is the pendulum swing. For this exercise, stand with your feet flat on the ground and allow your injured arm to hang by your side. 

Then, gently swing your arm in circles and then side to side. After a minute, repeat on the other side. 

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6. Crossover Arm Stretch 

Man doing crossover stretch  for injury

Source: Pinterest 

Another excellent exercise for your shoulder is the crossover arm stretch. For this exercise, stand with your feet flat on the floor. Then, gently pull the injured arm across your chest. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds before moving to the other side. 

 

Related: Acupuncture for Persistent Headaches 

Injury Rehab Exercises: Conclusion 

There are many excellent injury rehab exercises for you to try at home. Along with seeing a medical professional, performing these exercises will ensure a smooth rehab process. 

If you’re looking for help rehabilitating from an injury in the Portland, Oregon area, contact us today. 

 

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