Sebastian Brosche · 14 min · 886 words
Previously titled: Video 2 - Rib Rehab Program
Hi everyone, welcome back to day two of our rib injury rehab program. Now the important thing to remember with rib injuries is they can be difficult to rehab and unfortunately there isn't any magic wand but these exercises when done consistently can help you to reduce the amount of pain that you're feeling and to move around more easily during that recovery process. So to get straight back to the exercises, today we're going to use our block or a pillow also works and we're also going to use a length of resistance band. Okay, so we'll come back to that later on.
And I'm going to start off lying on one side. I'm going to start with the injured rib on top and my hands out in front of me. So my knees are bent up and I'm just going to take a deep breath in and lift the hand. I'm going to go as far as I can up to that edge of that discomfort and then back.
So for some of you, again depending on the injury you've got, you may find that this is a bit more restricted which is fine. Just take it as far as you can. Don't push into the pain but hanging out on the edge of it a little bit is okay. Now, if I can, I'm going to do the same thing on the other side.
If it's still too painful, then I can just repeat on the first side again. And from there, I'm going to go onto my back. As we did in day one, I'm going to start with my arms above me. Take a deep breath as I take the arms back.
And now, I'm going to take one hand and the opposite leg. So I'm going to concentrate on keeping my back pressed down towards the ground. So I'm not going to let my back arch if I do this. I'm just going to take one leg and the opposite hand and back up.
So if this feels relatively easy, you can do this with the legs both off the ground. But if that's too painful, just plant the feet. And rest there. So the next thing we're going to start doing is getting the abdominal muscles and the intercostal muscles engaged.
Now, this can be quite painful to start with, so we're going to work right on the edge of that discomfort. So I'm going to start by pointing my hands up above my head. I'm just going to take them off to one side and I'm just going to curl up. So I'm putting some tension through those obliques and the intercostals.
I'm just going to hold it on the edge of that discomfort. Relax. We're going to do this on both sides. So you may find that one is painful while the other isn't.
We're going to do the same on each side anyway. Reach up with the shoulder, contracting the abdominal muscles. We'll also engage the intercostal muscles between the ribs. Relax.
We're going to work a slightly different angle. So I'm going to put my hands on the leg and then just sliding the hands up towards the knee. Again, just hold that just on the edge of discomfort. It's important to remember with these, if you can only get as far as that, just starting to lift off, that's absolutely fine.
We can always progress this as it becomes less painful. Relax. And relax and just take a couple of deep breaths. And coming up to your knees.
This is where I grab my length of resistance band. And I'm going to come up to half kneeling position with the leg slightly wide to the side. And I'm going to stand on the band. You can adjust the amount of tension in the band depending on how difficult you want to make this exercise.
I'd suggest starting with it quite easy and gradually progressing as you get more confident. So I'm going to bring my arms. I'm going to hold the band with both hands and bring it up straight in front of me. And I'm just going to do a static hold in that position.
So once again, this engages those rotational muscles in my trunk. And relax there. Switch sides. And if I want to make this harder, I can either put more tension on the band or I can switch it for a stronger band.
Relax. And then for the third and final time, I'm going to put a little bit more rotation in here. So again, you can adjust this as it suits you. And same on the other side.
And rest there. And drop the resistance band to one side. We're going to go back to tall kneeling, hands behind the head. And we're just going to do a side bending mobilization to finish.
Again, just taking the body over to the side. As far as it's reasonably comfortable, just up to the edge of that discomfort. Again, a little bit of discomfort isn't something to worry about. And rest there.
And that's all for day two. So we'll see you back here for day three when you're ready. And we'll increase the intensity of some of these exercises.
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