Is Pilates good for Low Back Pain?

When people ask if Pilates is good for low back pain my answer is a resounding YES.
However, there are many important variables to consider. To clarify, not ALL Pilates exercises are great for all back pain sufferers because not all low back pain originates from the same structures. Therefore, your choice of Pilates exercises will depend on specific individual variants. Find our more… (more…)

What is best, Reformer group classes or Personal Training sessions?

The most important thing to consider when choosing group classes vs personal training sessions is your budget and your time.
While personal training sessions can be expensive, each workout is tailored for your own needs. Also, you can train on your own schedule without having to rely on when classes are offered or full, plus you can use all the equipment in the house. However, it is important to consider that not everyone can afford to pay for this type of training. Therefore, group classes are a great alternative to one-on-one sessions (more…)

How can I choose the best Pilates Personal Trainer?

If you are looking for the best Pilates personal training experience here are a few tips that you need to know (more…)

Reformer Pilates for back pain


Reformer Pilates can be very beneficial for back pain. However, One size doesn’t always fit all.
Some of the widely advocated benefits of regularly practising Pilates reformer are improved core strength, posture, and increased flexibility. These will help you improve and prevent bak pain. Pilates exercises focus on strengthening your abdominal muscles, in fact preferentially recruiting the deep ones. The goal is to retrain your muscles to fire when they are required, with the right amount of force at the right time in order to stabilise your spine. At the same time, maintaining your entire spine mobile. Remember, “You are only as old as your spine is” Joseph Pilates…

Intelligent Exercise. Focus and Think


Concentration is crucial to Pilates exercise! Mindful movement means that you have to be present in the moment without distractions and focus on the task in hand.
So if you are looking for exercises to fix your back without having to think about what you are doing, Pilates is not for you. If you are willing to put the effort and voluntarily learn how to recruit your muscles by concentrating and focusing on precision and learning anatomically how your body needs to work, Pilates is definitely for you. #intelligentpilates

Working from the Inside Out

As with every rehabilitation programme, local stability means that the joints in your spine are preferentially recruited before calling on the big power producing ones. Truly, deep stabilising muscles work close to the joint and need to work before targeting the big mobilising ones. Learn how to do this with our Pilates Exercise for Back Pain classes.

How Does the Spine Degenerate?

As we age and sometimes through injury, the spinal segments degenerate. Spinal degeneration happens when the spine is put through stresses that the discs are unable to withstand. Moreover, poor posture, sitting for prolonged periods slumping will speed up this process. A weak support system can cause also the spinal segments to shear, compress the discs and it’s contents. (annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulpous.

Compression of the discs cause small tears to appear on the outside portion of the disc (fibrillation). These tears heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue is weaker than the original architecture of the disc.

Overtime, the annulus and nucleus lose its water content, the disc loses height and the vertebral segments come closer to each other. As a result, the facet joints in the back to overlap and twist into an unnatural position. In an attempt to stabilise the spine, the body creates bone spurs on the vertebral bodies and the facets. These spurs can cause pain, ache or discomfort as they lose their ability to move properly and may irritate the joint capsule as you move without support.

Pilates as Prevention For Further Damage

Pilates Exercise for Back Pain can help maintain your spinal segments mobile, strengthen your deep abdominal musculature in order to stabilise your spine as you move around in your daily activities.
Prevention is better than the treatment!

back pain exercise

We Can Help

If you suffer from episodic mechanical, non-specific back pain, a Pilates programme may be beneficial for you.

Book now an assessment. We can diagnose, treat and help you get strong through Pilates exercise

Blog written by Carlo Yanez
Registered Osteopath B.A.(Hons.), B.Ost.(Hons)
Fully certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor

 

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