Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
These gentle abdominal core exercises help you safely recover from lower back pain in this Episode 2 of this series for beginners. Physiotherapist Michelle guides you step by step through 2 clinical rehabilitation exercises. These exercises rehabilitate the core abdominal muscles involved with chronic lower back pain including pain with lumbar disc injury, low back strain, after pregnancy or osteoarthritis.
#abdominalcoreexercises #lowerbackpain #physiotherapy
Series Episode 1 'Beginners Core Exercises for Lower Back Recovery' youtu.be/jsKFvXVOQdg
These abdominal core exercises should be pain free. Please cease these exercises should they cause any physical discomfort.
Abdominal Curl Exercise 1: McGill Curl Up
The first exercise strengthens your abdominal muscles at the front of your abdomen.
• Start lying down
• Slide one heel towards your buttocks,
• Place both hands behind your body in the curve of your lower back with your palms facing downwards to maintain the normal inward curve in your lower back
• Look towards the ceiling and raise your head just off the ground
• Lower your head slowly back down to the ground and relax
You can gradually increase the duration of this core exercise up to 10 seconds at a time, resting for 10 seconds between each exercise.
Abdominal Core Exercise 2: Modified Side Plank
This core exercise muscles trains the muscles that support the lower back like a brace or corset, here is the back view of the muscles working
• Start lying down on your right side with your knees bent at right angles with your right elbow directly under your right shoulder and your top hand onto your lower shoulder.
• Firm your right shoulder and lift your waist away from the ground try not to twist your spine or roll forwards and hold this position and breathe for a few seconds and now relax.
• Progress slowly raising your hips off the ground so your body stays in a straight line, hold this position for a couple of seconds, keep breathing normally if you can and now slowly lower your body back down to the ground and come right down to side lying.
How Many Abdominal Core Exercises for Beginners
• Try to do these abdominal exercises on 2-3 alternate days of the week.
• Start with the number of exercises that feels comfortable
• Focus on using good form rather than how many exercises you can do.
• Progress as tolerated to doing approximately 10 repeated exercises, resting for around 10 seconds between each exercise
References:
Hodges, P. W. (2003). Core stability exercise in chronic low back pain. Orthopedic Clinics, 34(2), pp 245-254.
McGill S (2010) Core Training: Evidence Translating to Better Performance and Injury Prevention. Strength and Conditioning 32(3), pp 33-46.
Abdominal curl exercise pexels.com/video/slow-motion-footage-of-a-woman-exercising-on-a-yoga-mat-in-the-living-room-floor-2376809
Core plank muscle image attribution with thanks to Bhanda Yoga credit copyright Raymond Long, MD
Music by Aiden Kenway: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEeJ... Lights by Sappheiros soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/LightsSappheiros Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg
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Disclaimer The information provided in this video is intended as general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice regarding your medical condition. To the extent permitted by law, neither Healthy Fit Solutions Pty Ltd, as trustee for the P & M Kenway Family Trust (“we”), nor any of our officers, employees, agents or related bodies corporate will be liable in any way (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, costs or expenses suffered by you or claims made against you through your use of, or in connection with, this video or information supplied or offered to be supplied on this video. Although we use our best efforts to provide accurate information and other materials on this video, the video is provided “as-is”. To the extent permitted by law, all warranties, conditions and representations provided about or by this video are excluded.
These gentle abdominal core exercises help you safely recover from lower back pain in this Episode 2 of this series for beginners. Physiotherapist Michelle guides you step by step through 2 clinical rehabilitation exercises. These exercises rehabilitate the core abdominal muscles involved with chronic lower back pain including pain with lumbar disc injury, low back strain, after pregnancy or osteoarthritis.
#abdominalcoreexercises #lowerbackpain #physiotherapy
Series Episode 1 'Beginners Core Exercises for Lower Back Recovery' youtu.be/jsKFvXVOQdg
These abdominal core exercises should be pain free. Please cease these exercises should they cause any physical discomfort.
Abdominal Curl Exercise 1: McGill Curl Up
The first exercise strengthens your abdominal muscles at the front of your abdomen.
• Start lying down
• Slide one heel towards your buttocks,
• Place both hands behind your body in the curve of your lower back with your palms facing downwards to maintain the normal inward curve in your lower back
• Look towards the ceiling and raise your head just off the ground
• Lower your head slowly back down to the ground and relax
You can gradually increase the duration of this core exercise up to 10 seconds at a time, resting for 10 seconds between each exercise.
Abdominal Core Exercise 2: Modified Side Plank
This core exercise muscles trains the muscles that support the lower back like a brace or corset, here is the back view of the muscles working
• Start lying down on your right side with your knees bent at right angles with your right elbow directly under your right shoulder and your top hand onto your lower shoulder.
• Firm your right shoulder and lift your waist away from the ground try not to twist your spine or roll forwards and hold this position and breathe for a few seconds and now relax.
• Progress slowly raising your hips off the ground so your body stays in a straight line, hold this position for a couple of seconds, keep breathing normally if you can and now slowly lower your body back down to the ground and come right down to side lying.
How Many Abdominal Core Exercises for Beginners
• Try to do these abdominal exercises on 2-3 alternate days of the week.
• Start with the number of exercises that feels comfortable
• Focus on using good form rather than how many exercises you can do.
• Progress as tolerated to doing approximately 10 repeated exercises, resting for around 10 seconds between each exercise
References:
Hodges, P. W. (2003). Core stability exercise in chronic low back pain. Orthopedic Clinics, 34(2), pp 245-254.
McGill S (2010) Core Training: Evidence Translating to Better Performance and Injury Prevention. Strength and Conditioning 32(3), pp 33-46.
Abdominal curl exercise pexels.com/video/slow-motion-footage-of-a-woman-exercising-on-a-yoga-mat-in-the-living-room-floor-2376809
Core plank muscle image attribution with thanks to Bhanda Yoga credit copyright Raymond Long, MD
Music by Aiden Kenway: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEeJ... Lights by Sappheiros soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/LightsSappheiros Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg
- - - - - - - -
Disclaimer The information provided in this video is intended as general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice regarding your medical condition. To the extent permitted by law, neither Healthy Fit Solutions Pty Ltd, as trustee for the P & M Kenway Family Trust (“we”), nor any of our officers, employees, agents or related bodies corporate will be liable in any way (including for negligence) for any loss, damage, costs or expenses suffered by you or claims made against you through your use of, or in connection with, this video or information supplied or offered to be supplied on this video. Although we use our best efforts to provide accurate information and other materials on this video, the video is provided “as-is”. To the extent permitted by law, all warranties, conditions and representations provided about or by this video are excluded.

![Safe Core Exercises After Hysterectomy | Weeks 1–6 Recovery Routine
Safe core exercises after hysterectomy help you regain deep abdominal muscle control during recovery. Guided by Pelvic Health Physiotherapist Michelle Kenway, these gentle core exercises for Weeks 1–6 after abdominal, vaginal, or laparoscopic hysterectomy. Youll learn diaphragmatic breathing exercises and how to activate your deep abdominal muscles. Progressive core abdominal exercises then gently train your deep core muscles helping you regain control of your lower belly.
Timestamps: Safe Core Exercises After Hysterectomy
00:00 Introduction to Safe Core Exercises
00:07 Swelly Belly After a Hysterectomy
00:19 Why Core Recovery Matters for Women
00:46 When to Start Hysterectomy Recovery Exercises
01:59 Exercise 1: Diaphragmatic Breathing After Hysterectomy
04:23 Exercise 2: Deep Abdominal Activation
06:20 How to Find Your Lower Abdominal Muscles
06:58 Side-Lying Core Activation After Hysterectomy
08:00 How the Pelvic Floor and Deep Core Muscles Work Together
09:26 Exercise 3: Butterfly Core Exercise
11:06 Exercise 4: Bent-Knee Fallout for Deep Core Control
13:55 Pelvic Tilts for Relieving Lower Back and Pelvic Stiffness
14:25 Exercise 5: Heel Slides After Hysterectomy
16:33 Exercise 6: Heel Lift or Toe-Tap Progression
18:39 Bed Bridge Exercises to Relieve Lower Back and Buttock Tightness
18:58 Relaxation and Recovery Breathing
19:26 How Often to Do Hysterectomy
Pelvic Health Physiotherapists can provide you with individualized assessment and guidance for your core and pelvic floor exercises during hysterectomy recovery.
Medical References
Drummond, G. B. (2003). The abdominal muscles in anaesthesia and after surgery. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 91(1), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aeg145
Gille, U. (2007). Transversus abdominis muscle, left [Modified illustration based on Gray’s Anatomy]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transversus_abdominis.png
Hodges, P. W., Sapsford, R., & Pengel, L. H. M. (2007). Postural and respiratory functions of the pelvic floor muscles. Neurourology and Urodynamics, 26(3), 362–371. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.20232
Kenway, M. D. (2011). Inside out: The essential women’s guide to pelvic floor safe exercise.
Shah, S., Vaishali, K., Prasad, S. S., & Babu, A. S. (2020). Altered patterns of abdominal muscle activation during forced exhalation following elective laparotomy: An experimental research. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 61, 198–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2020.11.080
Tazreean, R., Nelson, G., & Twomey, R. (2022). Early mobilization in enhanced recovery after surgery pathways: Current evidence and recent advancements. Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 11(2), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.2217/cer-2021-0258
Wu, A., & Drummond, G. B. (2006). Respiratory muscle activity and respiratory obstruction after abdominal surgery. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 96(4), 510–515. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/ael035
Yani, M. S., Wesselmann, U., Cottrell, A. M., Baranowski, A. P., & Engeler, D. S. (2022). Impaired ability to relax pelvic floor muscles in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. The Journal of Urology, 208(1), 148–156. https://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002560
Zivkovic, V., Lazovic, M., Vlajkovic, M., Slavkovic, A., Dimitrijevic, L., Stankovic, I., & Vacic, N. (2012). Diaphragmatic breathing exercises and pelvic floor retraining in children with dysfunctional voiding. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 48(3), 413–421. PMID: 22669134
Medical Disclaimer
This video is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to replace individual assessment, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified health professional. Please seek individual advice from a qualified pelvic health physiotherapist or your healthcare professional.
#coreexercises #hysterectomyrecovery #pelvicfloorphysiotherapy Safe Core Exercises After Hysterectomy | Weeks 1–6 Recovery Routine](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6I5doGDX5mA/mqdefault.jpg)








