General exercise group

The GE programme was used in a large multicentre randomised controlled trial and is well established in Germany [55]. It consists of four basic exercises (quadripedal position/prone bridging, rowing in a standing position, standing balance/knee bend and side support) with 12 levels of difficulty. Some levels of difficulty can be performed without additional tools, while other levels require unstable surface pads, additional weights, a ball, or other means of perturbation (Table 2).

Exercises of the GE programme at difficulty levels 1, 6 and 12

6. lean on foot and hand and reciprocally straighten one leg

12. push up and lift arm reciprocally

1. rowing in hip width stand with weight

6. single-arm rowing with trunk rotation in hip width stand on the forefoot with weight

1. stand on both legs and change from forefoot to toes stand

6. one leg stand on the forefoot with hip abduction and extension of the swinging leg

1. knee on the ground, pelvis up and down

6. straighten legs and pelvis up and down; rolling a ball

The numbers present 3 out of 12 selected stages of difficulty for each exercise: 1 (easiest level), 6 and 12 (hardest level)

In every session, 3 sets of 15 repetitions of each exercise were performed by each participant. In the first session, the level was selected based on a patient’s performance in the quadripedal position/prone bridging exercise. The level was reviewed and adjusted in the third and the fifth sessions.