me+ Recovery
Phase 2 - Making Progress

The information in this handbook and series is not intended to provide medical advice. You should speak with your healthcare professional before engaging in physical activity following ostomy surgery. In the event you experience pain or discomfort, stop the activity immediately and contact your healthcare professional.

Abdominal & Core Recovery Series - Phase 2

When you've been working through Green Phase 1 for a few weeks and you feel confident with the moves, you are ready to move onto Blue Phase 2, with your healthcare professional's permission. There is no set timeframe for how long to spend on each phase. Much will depend on your condition, recovery and previous well-being. Only progress when you are ready and can complete all of the Green Phase 1 moves easily and comfortably.

• Blue Phase 2 forms the main ongoing recovery and movement program. It is designed for people who have had major abdominal surgery and the formation of a stoma. There are 12 moves in total but you do not have to do them all.
• Simply choose the ones you feel most comfortable with. You could pick 3-4 moves and vary them throughout the week.
• Just try to make sure you do something every day – little and often is best.
• Of course if you want to do them all every day then that’s fine, just listen to your body and rest when you need to.
• In the event you experience pain or discomfort, stop the activity immediately and contact your health care professional.

Standing Alternatives

• If you find it hard to get onto the floor or you can’t kneel, try doing the lying moves in bed, or just choose standing or sitting moves.

Getting Down Onto the Floor

• If you want to do some of these moves on the floor, make sure you get down onto the floor and back up safely to avoid straining your abdomen.
• Avoid ‘sitting up’ hard or pulling on your abdomen.
• Use a chair or bed as support and get down onto the floor in a step by step fashion, kneeling first, then onto your hands and knees and slowly over onto your back.
• If you can’t easily get on and off the floor or you’ve had a knee replacement which prevents you from kneeling, try doing the moves on a firm bed or try some of the moves from the Blue Standing Series instead.

You should not move forward to Phase 2 until you've mastered Phase 1.

The me+ recovery series is adapted from the me+ recovery nurse training course which is RCN (Royal College Nursing) and ACPGGI (Association Coloproctology GB and Ireland) accredited in the UK and have undergone extensive peer and expert review.

Peer Reviewed by: Prof Sina Dorudi, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Mike Grice, Osteopath, Lecturer Sports Therapy and Module Leader for Athletic Movement Analysis, Dr Iseult Wilson, Institute of Nursing and Health Research.