Back Pain Exercises
|
The answer to that would be by a professional standard. A professional back doctor, chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist. Get its severity measured. Find out what’s going on.
Let’s look at where Pilates can help at what levels. Bad posture, muscle weakness, unbalanced muscle use, incorrect joint alignment in moving, bad nutrition and body care and injury can all cause back pain.
Pilates can correct all those except bad nutrition and body care, but there is a point where it has gone too far for Pilates right now and you need a back professional.
So if it is an injury, the pain is intense, movement is heavily stopped or is debilitating, get it checked out first and sorted out. Then when it is back to the point of being able to do any sort of back pain exercises, call in the Pilates instructor.
Example: A lady came to me to do Pilates to “fix her back”. She had herniated discs and degeneration and was in such severe pain just to lay down, sit up or turn over that she could not sleep. She was seeing a “chiropractor” who had not handled the problem and he sent her to do Pilates!!! Her back was inflamed. This is not the time for Pilates! She was not in a condition to do Pilates and related back pain exercises!!
I observed she had chronically bad posture which over a period of time had definitely caused her present condition. But now was not the time to work on her posture except to show her how she should hold her body. I also observed that she had some problem with her pelvic spinal joint (the sacro-iliac joint). This is something her chiropractor has not even looked at.
I referred her to a good chiropractor who started to really sort things out for her. She definitely needed Pilates but only when she could move without such severe pain and inflammation. Once the condition was somewhat under control she could then begin to do Pilates to correct her posture, strengthen muscles, align her joints, release tight muscles and get the flows moving again in her body.
So here are the areas Pilates helps with regarding back pain exercises:
1. Preventative:
Posture, joint alignment, muscles. Most back problems come from years of incorrectness in these areas. Get the body knowledge to keep back pain away.
2. Rehabilitation:
After injury, after first aid and recovery, Pilates can help the body to develop the posture, balance, strength and flexibility to cope with a permanent injury or to recover completely.
3. Handling minor back pain:
This has not gone too far and can be released with gained strength, better posture, release of tight muscles, strengthening of other muscles, joint alignment and flexibility.
A word from a client: “I have had back pain for years to a point where my back was out about 4 times per year which took a week or two to return to a lower pain level. I had been to chiropractors and they helped but the problem did not resolve. Doctors prescribed back pain exercises but they never handled it either. I had the feeling that this problem would be with me for life and I don't believe in operations that are not 100% necessary. I wished there was some way I could correct the problem through some sort of back pain exercise. With a combination of Pilates and swimming my back has not been a problem despite the fact I am a home inspector and crawl under houses putting my back in various contorted positions. It amazed me because the exercises seemed too simple, but the positive Pilates benefit was there and I feel an overall increase in health and fitness .”
My last word: Back pain is best handled with an individual program, not a group handling. This does not address your specific situation and can even worsen it.
Make sure your instructor knows what they are doing. Are they certified? Where did they certify, how long was their course and how much teaching did they get and do? Is what they are doing with you helping or making things worse? A few sessions should be enough to tell. Good hunting for a good
instructor.
You can contact Louise Forscher at:
LouiseForscher@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 818 775 9548 or cell 818 599 0901
Address: 8601 International Ave, #273,
Canoga Park Ca 91304
Discover How Whole Food Nutrition Really Is Different… Click Here.
To top of page -
Back Pain Exercises.
Disclaimer Privacy Policy Terms of Use
