Exercise 5: Bird Dogs
Exercise: Bird Dogs
(Called “Alternating Bird Dogs” in video walk-through)
Purpose | Builds core strength and stability. |
Appropriate for Pain Level | 1-5 |
Indications | Core stabilization, motor control, cross-body coordination |
Muscles Involved | Multifidus, glutes, erector spinae, deltoids, core |
Common Compensations | Pelvic rotation, lumbar extension |
Instructions: On hands and knees, extend one arm and the opposite leg. Keep your body stable. Hold for a few seconds, return, and switch sides.
Provider Tips
Emphasize spinal neutrality and control.
Regress by isolating arms or legs.
Clinical Rationale
Enhances core stability and lumbar control: promotes activation of deep core stabilizers especially the transverse abdominus and multifidus which are often inhibited in patients with sub acute low back pain. Improved activation helps provide segmental stability to the lumbar spine during movement.
Encourages lumbopelvic and trunk coordination: requires coordinated control of the spine, pelvis and extremities helping patients retrain motor patterns needed for functional tasks. Also reduces reliance on compensatory movement strategies like lumbar hyperextension or excessive pelvic tilting.
Reduces muscle imbalances and asymmetry: by alternating arm and leg movement, bird dogs address side-to-side asymmetries in strength, stability and motor control - a common issue in patients with low back pain.
Supports proprioception and balance training: the dynamic nature of the movement improves proprioception, body awareness and balance, all of which contribute to injury prevention and restoration of functional mobility.
Low load, modifiable exercise: bird dogs are a low impact, low load exercise that can be progressed or regressed depending on the patients control and pain level (e.g. performing only arm or leg movements before full opposite arm/leg reach).