Exercising with Endo — Mobility

Incorporating mobility exercises into your workout routine can help to ease pain associated with endometriosis. 

Exercising with endometriosis can often be challenging based on each individual and their condition, however, the main goal is always to be as physically active as often as possible. Certain types of exercise can help by reducing the tension in the muscles, improving movement in the spine, increasing blood flow and therefore, reducing pain.

Mobility exercises are those that involve slow and controlled movement of joints through a range of motion and can be done in a variety of ways. For women with endometriosis, maintaining or improving hip and spine movement can improve reported pain and tension, so exercises that mobilise those areas are ideal.

Developed by accredited Exercise Physiologists, Elisha Silcox and Esme Soan, the following article was originally published on Endometriosis Queensland's website. 

Endo Mobility & Activation Exercises

When your abdomen is bloated, your pelvis is sore and all you want to do is curl yourself around your hot water bottle, exercise is probably the last thing you feel like doing. However, certain types of exercise can help you put aside the hot water bottle by reducing the tension in your muscles, improving movement in your spine, increasing blood flow and therefore, reducing pain.

Mobility exercises are those that involve slow and controlled movement of joints through their range of motion and they can be done in a variety of ways. For women with endometriosis, we know that maintaining or improving hip and spine movement can improve reported pain and tension, so exercises that mobilise those areas are generally a great place to start.

1. Wall Push & Release 

2. Teapots

3. Knee Rocks

4. Gentle Book Openings

5. Spine Curl Ups - one segment at a time

6. Kneeling Hip Extensions

7. Towel Extensions

8. Towel Arm Openings

Esme Soan and Elisha Silcox are Senior Exercise Physiologists at Pear Exercise Physiology & Physio. You can find important information about Endometriosis symptoms, treatments, management and more on the QENDO website.