The log roll is a way to get from lying on your back to sitting on the edge of the bed without twisting your spine or doing a sit-up. You bend your knees, roll onto your side with your shoulders and hips moving together, then lower your legs off the bed while your arms push you up to sitting. Physios often teach it for a sore back and after some operations, alongside the surgeon's instructions.

How to do the log roll out of bed

Lie on your back near the side of the bed you want to get out on. Bend one knee by sliding the heel up the bed, then the other, until both feet are flat.
Rest the hand on the side you are rolling toward against the outside of that thigh. Turn your head toward the edge, reach your other arm across your body and let both knees drop that way, so you roll onto your side in one smooth movement.
Lying on your side with your knees bent, place your top hand flat on the bed just in front of your lower shoulder.
Slide your feet over the edge of the bed. As your lower legs drop toward the floor, push down through your top hand and the elbow underneath you, then straighten that lower arm, and let the weight of your legs help lift your body up to sitting.
Put both hands on the bed beside your hips and shuffle forward until your feet are flat on the floor. Sit for a moment before you stand. To lie down again, do the same steps in reverse.

What you should feel

Smooth and steady, with your trunk turning as one piece and your arms doing most of the lifting. A sore back may still grumble, but the movement should not bring a sharp jolt.

Common mistakes

Sitting straight up from lying flat, like a sit-up.
Turning the shoulders first and letting the hips follow later, which twists the back.
Swinging your legs off the bed before you have rolled onto your side.
Standing up the second you reach sitting, before you feel steady.

How often

Use it every time you get out of bed, and in reverse when you lie down, for as long as your back is sore or your surgeon or physio asks you to. A few practice runs when you are not in a hurry help it feel natural sooner. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Getting up brings on sharp or severe back pain that does not settle when you keep still.
You feel dizzy, lightheaded or faint, or the room seems to spin, as you move in bed or sit on its edge. Stop, lie back down on the bed if you can, and keep still until it passes. If it does not pass within a minute or two, or it keeps happening, get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of keeping still, or your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, call emergency services.
Numbness around your genitals or bottom, new trouble with your bladder or bowels, pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in both legs, or loss of feeling in one leg. Call emergency services or go to an emergency department straight away.
Your leg or foot gets weaker, for example your foot drags, catches on the ground or slaps down when you walk (foot drop). Get medical advice the same day. If the weakness is getting worse by the hour, go to an emergency department.
Your calf or thigh is getting more swollen, or becomes warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a new throbbing or cramping pain. This can be a blood clot, especially after an operation, an injury, time in a cast, boot or brace, or a spell of being much less mobile than usual, and after an operation it can also be an infection. Stop and contact your medical team or get medical advice the same day. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
You suddenly become short of breath, get chest pain or pain in your upper back that may be worse when you breathe in, cough up blood, your heart beats very fast, or you faint. Call emergency services straight away, even if your leg looks normal, as this can be a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
You are pregnant and notice bleeding or fluid leaking from your vagina, regular painful tightenings, tummy pain that does not settle when you rest or comes with lower back pain, or a change in your baby's usual movements, such as moving less than usual. Stop and contact your midwife or maternity unit straight away. Do the same for a severe headache, problems with your vision such as blurring or flashing lights, pain just below your ribs, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet, which can be signs of pre-eclampsia. Call emergency services if the bleeding is heavy, the tummy pain is severe, bleeding or tummy pain comes with pain in your shoulder or feeling sick, faint or dizzy, or a headache comes on suddenly and is very severe.

From the clinic

After spinal surgery, follow your surgeon's instructions for getting out of bed. They may want you to use a particular method, wear a brace or have someone help you at first. Their advice comes before this page.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the log roll. The bent knees tip across as you roll, which can take the top leg across the middle of your body, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations. Your surgical team may show you their own way of turning, sometimes with a pillow between the knees.

You can roll to either side. Choose the side that suits your bed and your room, or the one your physio has picked for you, and keep it the same each time so the movement becomes automatic. Keep a walking aid, if you use one, within reach of the edge of the bed, and switch on a light before you get up at night. If you tend to feel dizzy when you stand, sit on the edge for a little longer and stand up slowly. If you are pregnant, check with your midwife or physio before you start.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Log roll out of bed