Pilates for Chronic Pain
What is Pilates
Pilates is a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body (7. An Exercise in Balance: The Pilates Phenomenon). It will stabilize and strengthen your core postural muscles supporting the spine. Pilates helps with alignment which helps relieve and prevent back pain. When doing Pilates, you gain greater control over the movement of your body through correct spinal and pelvic alignment, concentration on movement, and proper breathing.
Benefits of Pilates Over Other Strength Building Exercises
Traditional workouts that are weight-bearing often build short, bulky muscles which are easier to injure. Through Pilates, your body becomes more flexible and your strength is balanced. It elongates and strengthens the body improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. Also, many traditional workouts emphasize one muscle group over another, so your body’s muscles often become unbalanced. Weak muscles get weaker and strong muscles to get stronger. Pilates strengthens the whole body evenly from your neck all the way down to your ankles and feet. No muscle group is overworked or underworked. Because of these benefits, Pilates is a popular exercise for professional sports teams, athletes, and even physical rehabilitation centers.
Benefits of Pilates for Chronic Pain
Pilates exercises for chronic pain work by enhancing the primary muscular support system of the body, to offload the joints and important structures of the body, ultimately leading to a reduction of pain. Pilates is great for chronic pain sufferers because exercises are low impact, increase muscle strength, and can be altered to fit your ability level. Often your brain will move away from focusing on painful areas when it is busy concentrating on the body as a whole.
Benefits Include:
Reduced or eliminated pain
Great for injury recovery
Increasing control over pain
Create more efficient patterns of movement
Better posture
Less risk of injury
Improved function making daily activities easier
Greater feeling of well-being
Increased confidence and independence
Reduced muscle stiffness
Improving joint mobility
Increases flexibility
Promote weight loss
12 Scientifically Proven Reasons Pilates Leads to Peace of Mind
Improves memory: The part of our brains responsible for cognitive function and memory start shrinking in our late 20’s. Recent studies show that exercise improves the creation of new brain cells and protects existing cells. Another study shows that people who practice mindful activities such as yoga or Pilates experience superior brain function.
Trains your brain: Learning a new Pilates routine will help challenge the body and mind.
Deeper muscle activation means the better function of the nervous system: We use specific areas of the brain every time we move.
Calm mind and emotions with Pilates: Pilates has a lot of the benefits of mindfulness meditation which include a calmer mind.
Relieves stress tension in your body: Through releasing tension in your muscles, stress hormones are reduced. By removing stress from the body, you also get it out of your mind.
Tames your stress: It can also prevent stress, due to the mindfulness aspect.
Makes you happier: When the body is positively stressed it releases endorphins that make us feel good.
Makes you more creative: Mindfulness meditation is known to improve creativity.
It lets you control your emotions: The breathing techniques you learn can help calm your mind in stressful situations.
Mindful Movement helps release emotional tension: You learn to gain control over the deep core muscles closely connected to emotional baggage.
Teaches you to be yourself: With Pilates your progress is based on personal standards and priorities, you are not in competition with anyone else.
Become more confident: Confidence can be gained from having good posture.
How Safe is Pilates for Chronic Pain?
Many of the exercises require reclining or sitting positions. They are also low-impact exercises that are only partial weight-bearing. This is not a cardio workout. When doing Pilates, the focus is on the way the body moves, it is not about the number of repetitions, and you don’t want to over-stress your muscles. It’s not an exercise that is known to make you sweat, because it’s all about concentration and breathing. The exercises are pretty safe considering many physical therapy facilities use Pilates to rehabilitate after injuries.
What Conditions does Pilates help with?
Chronic back pain
Fibromyalgia
Post-surgery
Postural pain
Whiplash
Shoulder pain
Hip pain
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Chronic Low Back Pain
Pilates can help with chronic low back pain because it strengthens your weak core muscles that often create pain. Pilates is so effective with chronic back pain that it is considered one of the best choices of therapy for people with back pain. Just make sure you check with a doctor and use a Pilates instructor with plenty of experience helping people with low back pain.
Arthritis
Many people with arthritis are afraid to exercise because they are concerned about intensity. However, Pilates exercises are low-impact, gentle movements, that are purposeful, preventing stress on joints.
Fibromyalgia
Pilates is also an excellent exercise for people with fibromyalgia. Not only is it great for stability and a low-impact exercise, but also for breathing. Pilates emphasizes breathing techniques to relax muscles and prevent tension. Breathing oxygenates the blood and increases circulation to all regions of the body. Oftentimes people with fibromyalgia tend to disconnect from their bodies. Pilates is all about the connection of the mind and body. It also helps to prevent hypermobility and reduces fatigue symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
People with heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes can participate in Pilates, as well. However, it is recommended to check with your doctor first.
SESSIONS BEGIN MONDAY FEBRUARY 13th
