Pilates Exercises for Back Pain

Introduction

Most people, regardless of age and physical activity level, can benefit form Pilates exercise programs. These programs not only have amazing health benefits, but also increase self-confidence and over all well-being. Why do Pilates exercise programs have such amazing benefits for back pain and other health conditions

Main Item

First, Pilates strengthens the core of the body.

It works the muscles in the back, tummy and rear end. This core affects your entire body. You will be more stable when standing, walking and sitting. You will also have better posture when your core muscles are strengthened. And, of course, a strong core results in a smooth, toned belly!

Once you have your core strengthened, it is actually more comfortable to sit properly.

When your posture improves as a result of a Pilates exercise program, you will find that your back is more comfy. If your back is starting to arch, it is likely do to a compression of the spine. This is helped by Pilate's exercises, because they lengthen the spine and encourage you to sit and stand with a straight spine. If that sounds like torture, rest assured that with Pilates, it will be comfortable to sit and stand properly.

Pilates increases your mind body connection.

In order to successfully perform a Pilates exercise program, you must have your mind engaged in the activity. You must concentrate on your breathing, which is an important part of Pilates. Some moves require inhaling, while others require exhaling. Proper breathing requires a mental focus that many other exercise programs do not require. Proper focusing abilities are tools you can use in any area of life, not just your exercise program.

More and more chiropractors today are recommending Pilates for their clients' aching backs.

When Pilates is done consistently, many people experience relief from back pain. What is it about doing Pilates that works well to relieve a person's aching back
Pilates is effective in relieving back pain because it addresses the structural imbalances in a person's body that leads to back pain. Such issues like pelvic instability, poor posture, lack of core support, muscular imbalances, and lack of body awareness all affect back health. These issues are resolved when a person does the Pilates stretches on a regular basis.

Correct Posture Exhibited by Pilates Workouts

When a person begins to do Pilates, he or she has to concentrate on how the different body parts are lined up. This is known as our alignment. When we are standing or sitting, we tend to think of our alignment as our posture. However, having good posture is a dynamic process and depends upon the ability of our body to align all of its different parts to respond to different demands effectively. When this alignment is off, uneven stress is placed on the skeleton and especially on the spine. Pilates exercises are done while paying attention to this alignment. Uniform muscle use and development are created which allows movement to flow through a person's body in a most natural way.

A very common postural imbalance that many people have the tendency to do is to either tilt or tuck the pelvis. Neither position does the body any good. In fact, by tilting or tucking the pelvis, weakness is created on one side of a person's body and there are overly tight areas on the other side. The spine is denied the support of the natural curves and a domino effect of pains and aches are created all the way up one's spine and even going into the neck. When one does the Pilates exercises, one becomes increasingly aware of the proper placement of their spine and pelvis. An inner strength is created that supports the natural curves of one's spine. As you can see, Pilates has been the key for creating better backs for a large number of people.

Core Strength Developed by Pilates

You must have good core strength in order for the body to have proper alignment. What does having core strength mean? It means that all of your body's trunk muscles are flexible, strong, and working together in an effort to stabilize and support the spine.

To have proper core strength, you have to look much deeper than just the big surface muscles that we often think about such as the rectus abdominis, the big back muscles, or those beautiful 6-pack abs. The core muscles are usually the ones that are found below the surface musculature.

Many forms of exercise simply focus on giving added strength to the big muscles such as the ones that we can see and the ones that are responsible for doing big movements. However, Pilates trains the body in such a way that all of the core muscles are working together to stabilize and support the back. When core strength is developed effectively, the body is trained to know when to release and to activate the core muscles. While core strength seems to be the catchall term, it is better to say that the core coherence that is taught by doing Pilates is essential for back health.

Pilates exercises create long muscles.

Why is this a benefit? Because instead of working just one muscle group with your exercise, you work the entire body with just about every move. The focus is on controlling your body, not working it to death. This results in a pleasing look that is long, rather than bulked up around large muscle groups. This is a major benefit of Pilates over most other strength training exercise programs.

Because Pilates is a low impact workout, anyone can participate.

Those with joint pain and other muscle issues can do the movements to their own level of control. They do not have to worry about impact on those sore muscles and joints, because there is little to no impact with Pilates. From senior citizens to growing children, all can benefit from Pilates exercises.

Finally, working a Pilates exercise program greatly increases your flexibility, while strengthening muscles at the same time.

Many strength training programs only focus on strengthening, not flexibility. This creates muscles that are easily injured, because the tendons are so tight that they can easily snap. Pilates provides flexibility training in conjunction with strength training.

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Cite This Page (APA): Steven G.. (2009, February 12 - Last revised: 2014, December 12). Pilates Exercises for Back Pain. Disabled World. Retrieved October 11, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/fitness/exercise/pilates/pilates-back-exercises.php

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