Mobilizing the Spine at Home Video Tutorial
Home Exercises to Help Mobilize Your Spine
Overview
I get asked a lot how to mobilize the spine at home. And of course the best way, in my opinion, to mobilize the spine is to get on that wobble chair and do your spine moulding.
Level
Beginner to moderate witgh progression
Targets
Spine mobility
Step by Step Instructions
- Lie on your back with your feet hip-distance apart on the floor.
- Place your arms out to the sides in a T position.
- (Optional) Position a low-back foam/fulcrum under your lumbar spine to help maintain its natural curve.
- Gently rock both knees side to side like “windshield wipers,” moving slowly and smoothly to mobilize the mid–lower back.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed and your lower back comfortable; stay within a pain-free range.
Progression (for added core work):
6. Bring your legs to tabletop (hips and knees bent 90°), keeping knees together.
7. Continue the side-to-side knee movement in a smooth, continuous motion.
8. As your knees go left, look right (and vice versa) to add gentle spinal rotation.
9. Maintain control and steady breathing throughout.
10. Finish by lowering your feet back to the floor and relaxing
[Video Transcript]
I get asked a lot how to mobilize the spine at home. And of course the best way, in my opinion, to mobilize the spine is to get on that wobble chair and do your spine moulding. But if you’ve already done that and want to mobilize your spine some more, I’ll give you some quick exercises to do. You go to back up on this one though. You’re just going to put your feet on the ground about hip distance apart. And then, you’re going to lie on your back. Your arms are going to go out to the side in a T formation, and you’re just… We call these windshield wipers. You’re just going to move your knees side to side. I really like doing this over the low back foam or fulcrum, because it helps maintain a nice curvature on your low back. So nice and slow and easy, just to start mobilizing the mid to lower back.
Now, if you find this easy and you want a bit of a core workout, you can always raise your legs like this up to something we call tabletop. Your knees are at 90 degrees. And then, you can do the same thing. I like to try to keep my knees glued together. As they move to the left, I’m going to look over to the right and vice versa. I like to do this in a nice, smooth, continuous motion. Not only is it mobilizing my spine, but I’m also getting a core workout while I’m doing that. And that’s just a nice way to keep your spine moving.
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