Directions: Start out on hands
and knees with the hands directly under the shoulders and the knees directly
under the hips. Relax the low back to a neutral position. It is
important to keep the body in a straight line while lifting your legs.
Start out by lifting one leg slowly and holding the position of the low
back.
When instructed by your physical therapist, the progression of the above exercise is to add the arms into the movement. Now as the leg is slowly llifting simultaneously reach out the opposite arm forward overhead. Make sure to maintain a neutral low back position. Next bring that arm and leg to the surface and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
Below is a video of the final progression of the Bird dog exercise. In the video watch for common compensations which indicate you are not performing the exercise correctly. Perform sets and repetitions as instructed.
Note: exercises should only be performed if instructed by a properly trained health care practitioner.