Skip to main content

Table 1 Sensorimotor training program (SMT) exercises levels 1 to 12

From: RENaBack: low back pain patients in rehabilitation—study protocol for a multicenter, randomized controlled trial

Exercise 1: quadrupedal/all-fours stability

Exercise 2: deadlift/rowing

Exercise 3: double leg–single leg heel-pad stance

Exercise 4: side planks

Stable ground

Unstable ground

Stable ground

Unstable ground

Stable ground

Unstable ground

Stable ground

Unstable ground

1. Hand and knee stance: cat’s hump/horse’s back

2. Hand and knee stance diagonal arm and leg: from body center upwards (horizontal)

4. Hand and feet stance: bending, stretching a leg

6. Hand and feet stance: release arm, trunk rotation

3. Hand and knee stance diagonal arm and leg: from body center upwards (horizontal)

5. Hand and feet stance: bending, stretching a leg

7. Hand and feet stance: release arm, trunk rotation

8. Planks: leg horizontal

9. Planks: diagonal leave arm and leg

10. Planks: leave arm, rotate the trunk

11. Planks: leave arm and diagonal leg, rotate trunk

12. Press-up: leave arm

1. Rowing plus additional weight

3. Rowing in ball stance plus additional weight

5. One-handed rowing plus additional weight

6. One handed rowing plus additional weight in ball stance

9. One-handed rowing plus additional weight in single-leg stance

10. One-handed rowing plus additional weight in single leg ball stance

2. Rowing plus additional weight

4. Rowing in ball stance plus additional weight

7. One-handed rowing plus additional weight

8. One-handed rowing plus additional weight in ball stance

11. One-handed rowing plus additional weight in single-leg stance

12. One-handed rowing plus additional weight in single-leg ball stance

1. Bipedal: heel-pad stance

3. Unipedal stance plus hip abduction

4. Unipedal stance plus hip abduction and leg extension

6. Unipedal ball stance plus hip abduction and leg extension

10. Unipedal squat

11. Unipedal squat plus additional weight

2. Bipedal: heel-pad stance

5. Unipedal stance plus hip abduction and leg extension

7. Unipedal ball stance plus hip abduction and leg extension

8. Squat in ball stance

9. Squat in ball stance and hip bending

12. Unipedal squat plus additional weight

1. Knee on the ground: hip up/down

3. Knee on the ground: hip released from the ground and hold

5. Knee on the ground: hip up/down without putting down the pelvis

7. Legs stretched, hip fixed upwards

10. Legs stretched, release leg from the ground

12. Legs stretched, release leg and diagonal arm from the ground: horizontal contact

2. Knee on the ground: hip up/down

4. Knee on the ground; hip released from the ground

6. Knee on the ground: hip up/down without putting down the pelvis

8. Legs stretched, hip fixed upwards

9. Legs stretched, hip up/down

11. Legs stretched, release leg from the ground

  1. Source: Adapted from Niederer D, Vogt L, Wippert P-M, Puschmann A-K, Pfeifer A-C, Schiltenwolf M, et al. Medicine in spine exercise (MiSpEx) for nonspecific low back pain patients: study protocol for a multicentre, single-blind randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2016;17 [1]:507
  2. Interventional exercises details. For each exercise, level [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12], surface (stable/instable), and description are provided; p. 6