No responses or benefit.
After exercising without any relief or benefit for three or four days, you may conclude that the exercises as performed are ineffective. But there are two main causes for lack of response or benefit from the exercises presented in this book.
A lack of response to these exercises is possible in some people whose pain is felt only to one side of the spine, or whose pain is felt much more to one
side than the other. If your pain during the course of the day is felt only to one side, or more to one side than the other, or if you feel pain more to one side as you perform Exercises 1, 2, or 3, you may need to modify your body position before you begin these exercises.
Here is how to modify your body position:
1. Position yourself to perform Exercise 1 and allow yourself to relax for a few minutes
2. Remain facedown, then shift your hips away from the painful side. That is, if your pain usually is more on the right side, you must move your hips three or four inches to the left and once more completely relax for a few minutes
3. While allowing the hips to remain off-center, lean on the elbows as described in Exercise 2 and relax for an additional three or four minutes
You are now ready to begin Exercise 3. With your hips still off-center, complete one session of Exercise 3 and then relax once more. You may need to repeat the exercise several times, but before beginning each session of 10, ensure that your hips are still off-center: remember, away from the painful side. Even with your hips in the off-center position, try in each repetition to move higher and higher. Reach the maximum amount of extension possible, at which point your arms should be completely straight.
