Knee Folds – A Great Exercise for Developing Pelvic Stability

 

Knee Folds are one of the fundamental Pilates exercises – often used to help relieve back pain. It is great for developing pelvic stability which plays an important role in keeping the spine and pelvis in optimal alignment, and ensuring that the muscles and joints of the lower limbs are functioning properly.

 

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees and feet placed on the floor hip-width apart (Figure 1). You can have your arms beside your body with your palms facing down, or you can place your palms on your hip bones with your fingers pointing towards your pubic bone. This will help you to feel your abdominal muscles contracting as well as give feedback about the positioning of your pelvis. Make sure that your spine and pelvis is in a neutral position where your pubic bone is sitting higher than your hip bones and your lower back curves off the floor slightly.

Figure 1

• Inhale, and on the next exhale, engage your abdominals by drawing your navel towards your spine and float your right knee up towards the chest until your knee is in line with your hip joint (Figure 2). Make sure that your pelvis is very stable and your left hip does not lift during this movement.

Figure 2

• Inhale, and on the next exhale, very slowly and controlled float the foot back down to the floor while contracting your abdominals. Make sure that your pelvis is very stable during the execution of this movement.
• Repeat this exercise on your left side (Figure 3).

Figure 3

• Continue until you have done about 8-10 repetitions on each side. If you have a weaker side, do 3 additional repetitions on that side.
• Do this exercise daily for optimal results.