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Francis Connor GOsC Registered Osteopath MCSP & SRP Physiotherapist is a leading British Osteopath/Physiotherapist with Clinics at:: Deansgate Osteopathic & Physiotherapy Clinic, 152, Deansgate, Bolton, BL1 1BB Telephone: 01204 522133; Manchester Osteopaths, 49 King Street, 3rd Floor, Manchester, M2 7AY Telephone: 0161 835 2358
We strongly recommend that anyone new to Pilates should start with whichever of Pilates Beginners or Pilates For The Over 50's is the most appropriate. The later DVD's contain serious exercises that are much more strenuous which should not be attempted by newcomers to Pilates. Stretch and Revitalize is more advanced than both Stretching For Back Pain Or Stretch For The Over 50's, both of these are suitable for beginners. How Pilates and Stretching Can Help Your Back Pain Is Stretching good for back pain? We can develop back pain for many reasons and one of them may just be a result of aging. Another can be from a recent injury to your back. Stretching is an excellent way to relieve back pain for a multitude of reasons. It will improve flexibility and realign your range of motion naturally without pain. Stretching also supplies needed nutrients to tissues on your spine that help your back muscles from becoming weak or stiff. Best of all, stretching and working your back muscles can actually help prevent future injuries.
When you experience pain in your back, most likely the last thing you want to do is move it or exercise it. Stretching for back pain and performing it the right way will not hurt you and will relieve your back pain. Because your spine is full of ligaments, muscles, tendons, and bones, keeping it aligned naturally can be realized by stretching exercises. Stretching on a regular basis will help to keep the muscles and ligaments in your back flexible and can also reduce stress on joints and even improve the flow of your blood. Avoiding any stretching recommendations you may receive from your doctor or physical therapist can result in a tightening of muscles and limit movement which can cause or increase pain.
We all see the professional athletes who use stretching before they begin any type of sport or training. The everyday person can use stretching as well prior to aerobics, Pilates, or any type of exercise in your weekly routine. Remember, stretching first will help you to avoid any back pain later. When you begin your stretching routine, follow these tips for the maximum effect:
• Begin with the neck area and try to work each muscle throughout your back. Starting at the neck will produce limber muscles that will help you along in your routine.
• Don’t stretch to the point where you feel pain. Good stretching should be performed slowly and gently and only produce a mild tension. • Avoid bouncing and try to hold your stretches for ten to twenty seconds. • Breathe when you are stretching—inhale before every stretch and exhale while performing the stretch. • Your time limit for each part of the back or neck you are stretching should always remain the same if you are trying to relieve pain. For instance, if you stretch three to five times with one stretching exercise for your neck, shoulders, or back, keep it at that level until your flexibility returns. • Try and switch the muscles you are stretching when performing your routine. Stretch to the right and then to the left for maximum relief. • The morning when you first awake is the best time for your stretching routine, especially if you have morning back pain from sleeping. • Try and keep up a good stretching routine two to three times per week. Many of us who suffer from back pain don’t realize how important flexibility is and how much our muscles and ligaments need it to keep healthy. If you suffer from back pain, try to begin a good stretching routine and keep with it. Remember, you should never stretch to where you feel pain and with a good routine, you will find back pain relief faster than you think.
Stretching is very important in relieving back pain for several reasons: 1) it improves your flexibility, which in turn allows your back to move through its natural range of motion painlessly, 2) it sends necessary nutrients to the tissue along the spine that keep your muscles from getting stiff and weak, 3) it helps to prevent further injury to the back. Stretch and Revitalise
Flexibility is often left out or neglected in preference for trying to develop other areas of fitness. Pilates uses various stretching methods to increase muscle strength as well as to extend the range of movement at one’s joints. Having increased flexibility may help to prevent an injury and will improve health performance and activities related to sports. Stretching exercises can be adapted in order to suit individual needs so that everyone will progress.
Stretch
Stretching is not only relaxing but it is rejuvenating at the same time. If you only have five minutes worth of time to stretch, it is usually enough time to work some of those kinks out of your brain as well as you body. Gentle stretching will get you warmed up so that you are ready for anything. Try doing some of the Pilates stretches.
Revitalise
Five minutes is hardly enough time for a workout. However, it is enough time to get your breath, blood, and energy moving. A few minutes of some targeted Pilates movements can boost your muscle tone. Get yourself moving with the Wall Roll Down.
To begin:
• Stand tall against a wall. As you leave your body on the wall, you want to walk your feet approximately 6 to 10 inches away from the wall.
• Make sure your abdominals are pulled in. • Make sure your shoulders are kept away from your ears. Your chest should be kept wide and your ribs down. Now raise your arms over your head keeping them straight. • Your arms should be kept parallel to your ears. Now begin to roll your spine slowly down and away from wall. • The abs should stay lifted and there should be a sense of lengthening of the spine as you roll downward. • As you progress down in the roll, you have the chance to deepen the scoop of your abdominals even more. • Work slowly trying to peel the spine away from wall. • Let your neck and your head relax. • Roll down as far as possible and do not let your hips leave the wall. The abs are very pulled in. • You should feel the curve evenly along the whole length of the torso. • You should also be getting a very good hamstring stretch as well. • Now start a return up the wall by starting it with your lower abdominals. This is what is called a powerhouse move. Think of using your lower abdominals to bring the pelvis to an upright position. • Continue going up the wall, placing each vertebrae on it, one by one. • As you continue your roll up, your arms travel alongside the ears as your shoulders remain relaxed. • Now you can bring your roll to the starting position. Be sure that your abdominals are engaged and that your shoulders are dropped. • Your arms should now be overhead with wide shoulders and your chest should be open. The Wall Roll Down is the perfect transition exercise for stretching and revitalising your entire body. Why Do I Have Back Pain and What Can Pilates Do For Me?
There are many reasons people suffer from back pain and Pilates is one method that all doctors and physical therapists agree on—it can radically improve back pain. Let’s look at some of the reasons you may be experiencing back pain:
• Sitting – If you sit for long periods of time in the same chair, you could suffer from back pain. Remarkably, most people sit almost eight hours a day! All of this sitting can take a toll on your back producing back pain and stiffness.
• How Do You Lift Things? – If you lift while on the job or often at home, are you practicing the appropriate lifting techniques and bending your knees to avoid back pain? If not, make sure you don’t bend at the waist to lift. • Are Your Back Muscles Weak? – Many people don’t realize how back muscles can become weak. Back muscles become weak due to non-use and avoiding exercise. • How’s Your Posture? – Do you slump your shoulders all the time. When our Mothers told us to stand or sit up straight, they weren’t just nagging! They were trying to help us maintain good and healthy back muscles, bones, ligaments, and joints. • Are Your Back Muscles Stiff? – Again, by not exercising or performing exercises designed for our backs, our backs can become stiff. Try to keep those muscles limber. While we can easily identify where our back pain comes from, how can we use Pilates to improve our back pain? Simply put, performing Pilates can help support your spine and make all your muscles, joints, and ligaments more flexible to relieve pain. Here are some great tips on how Pilates can improve your back pain:
• Posture Perfect! – Pilates focuses on how your body parts are aligned. It also makes you aware of where you spine is and where it shouldn’t be. Often people tend to tilt or tuck in the pelvis and this causes weaknesses or poor posture by creating a domino effect that can go up your spine all the way to your neck.
• Weak Back Muscles – When you practice Pilates, you will gain back strength. Because if focuses on your core strength which includes you back, your back muscles, ligaments, joints and bones become stronger as you continue on your weekly regiment of Pilates. A stronger back will equal less pain. • Back Flexibility - We could all agree that the more we exercise our arm and leg muscles the more flexible they become and with continual movement and exercise comes healthy muscles. The same is true with your back muscles. Pilates can improve your back’s flexibility and in time, they will work in tune with other muscles in your body such as your abdominal muscles. • Is That My Back Talking? With a good Pilates’ methodology, you become more aware of your body. Specifically, when we feel back pain, our bodies are telling us something is wrong and through Pilates, especially for back pain, you’re achieving controlled movements that help you become further aware of your body’s alignment and the energy needed for each Pilates movement. Talk with your instructor on becoming more aware of what you body is telling you, including you back to work to free you of back pain. Pilates can help with back pain. More and more people are realizing this when sent home by their doctors with a prescription of beginning Pilates. If you do suffer from chronic back pain, be sure to check with a qualified Physiotherapist/Osteopath before beginning an exercise regiment or seek your doctor’s advice.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a form of exercise that is used to stretch and revitalise the body. Pilates is used by dancers, athletes, those who are in pain or have sustained an injury, and people of many ages. This form of exercise was first developed by a man who was known as Joseph Pilates. He first designed this fitness program to be used on World War I soldiers as a rehabilitation method for those who suffered from disabilities. As a child, Joseph was a sickly boy but later on in his years, he grew to be very strong. His goal for Pilates was to balance, stretch, and revitalize the body as well as the mind.
When a person takes up Pilates, it has been known to strengthen, tone, improve flexibility and you get an overall feeling of health in your body. When you perform Pilates, your main area of focus is on the torso area of your body. Pilates strengthens your muscles with creating any added bulk on the body. It is also helpful in improving body awareness.
Using Pilates to Help Back Pain
Many people have never heard of Pilates or if they have, aren’t really sure what it is all about. Pilates is an exercise regimen that was developed by Joseph Pilates and helps to emphasize balanced development throughout the entire body through core strength techniques, flexibility, and body/mind awareness. Pilates is performed on a mat in very efficient and graceful movements and helps to revitalize the body.
Many professionals such as dancers and athletes use Pilates for flexibility prior to beginning their sport, dance or training routines. Its inventor, Joseph Pilates first used it on soldiers in World War I to help rehabilitate certain disabilities. Pilates is also a great way to relieve back pain and can strengthen and tone and improve the flexibility in the muscles, ligaments, and bones in your back.
One reason Pilates works so well for back pain is that when it is performed it concentrates on the torso of the body. It can create a feeling of good overall body health and increase your awareness of all the muscles in your body and back. People of all ages can use Pilates with mats and exercise balls and most exercises are performed while in lying down. Other Pilate’s exercises are performed while sitting, kneeling, and standing.
How Can Pilates Help Your Back Pain?
Because Pilates focuses on strengthening muscles and your core muscles, it is a great way to relieve back pain. The movements of Pilates are slow and controlled which helps each body realize back flexibility without pain. Most physical therapists will tell you that if you need to stretch your back to relieve pain that it should not hurt. Using Pilates for back pain relief will not cause pain.
Many people who suffer from back pain simply have had bad posture all their lives and Pilates can help improve posture to rid you of that lower back pain from poor posture. A good Pilates tip is to never over stretch and perform only the routines that feel comfortable until your flexibility improves.
Your body can reap so many benefits from performing Pilates. No matter what your age, if you suffer from back pain and choose Pilates as a method to relieve that pain, you can lower your risk for future injury and strengthen your body’s core. Through focused control of your back muscles and ligaments, you will increase the flexibility in your back allowing your blood to flow and increase the nutrient flow in your body.
Along with back pain relief you can also firm your abdominal muscles, relieve anxiety and stress, and improve your overall health. Because Pilates does not create unnecessary body bulk, you’ll find your have greater strength and your breathing can even improve.
Using Pilates to relieve back pain has been a great source for many people and it can help you as well. Before you begin a Pilates routine, seek out a professional who can help you understand all the techniques, movements, and body/mind awareness to achieve optimal results.
How Does Pilates Help Back Pain?
Doctors and physical therapists have been recommending Pilates for many back pain sufferers who have no relief from pain medications. The movements your body realizes when practicing Pilates stretch your back muscles, ligaments, and bones to improve flexibility. Keeping your back muscles flexible can actually help prevent future back pain and Pilates is a great way to accomplish this.
How Can Pilates Revitalize Me?
You can revitalize your body in a short time through some targeted Pilates movements and help boost your muscle tone! Here is an example of how Pilates and stretching can help your back pain
First off, this movement is called the Wall Roll Down and is easy to perform. We’ll explain how to do it here in steps:
• Stand firmly against a wall and walk your feet six to ten inches away from the wall while keeping your back against the wall.
• Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in. • Keep your shoulders away from your ears and your chest should be wide with your ribs down. • Next, raise your arms over your head and keep them straight. • Roll you spine slowly down and away from the wall. • Your abdomen should be in a lifted position and you should feel your spine lengthening as you roll down the wall. • While moving slowly, try to peel your spine away from the wall while you relax your head and neck. • Roll down as far as is comfortable for you and try not to move your hips away from the wall. • When you return up the wall, start by using your abdominal muscles to bring your pelvis to an upright position. • Let your arms travel along your ears as your shoulders stay relaxed when you move back up the wall. • When you are back to your starting position, you can repeat two or three times if you wish. The Wall Roll Down move from Pilates will help stretch your back muscles and improve your flexibility. This Pilates move is a great exercise to revitalize your entire body as well. If you are feeling tension or stress from the day or just want to rid yourself of back pain, using the Wall Roll Down Pilates exercise is one of the best exercises you can perform.
Practicing Pilates
Pilates is an exercise form that can be performed by almost anyone who is willing to give it a try. It is usually performed on a mat but it can also make use of exercise balls and other Pilates equipment such as a Reformer. Most of the Pilates forms are done while the subject is lying down. However, there are certain exercises that can be performed while sitting, kneeling, or standing as well.
Pilates is a great exercise for relieving back pain because it focuses on strengthening your core muscles, which include the back. Pilates exercises are very smooth and controlled movements, so there is little danger of getting injured while exercising. It’s also a great way to work on your strength and flexibility, both of which help to alleviate back pain. However, as with yoga, you should avoid any extreme twisting or bending movements. Also as with yoga, Pilates exercises should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface. One of the best benefits of Pilates is that it helps improve posture, a common cause of lower back pain. Use common sense when doing Pilates; if exercises that arch your back hurt, don’t do those. Or if exercises that round your back hurt, do only the back arching ones. When you practice Pilates remember to wear something that is comfortable. You should wear an outfit that is able to stretch with your body and not wear something that is either too tight or too loose. You must understand that Pilates involves a wide variety of positions so you want to feel your best moving around a lot. During this form of exercise, shoes are usually not worn.
Benefits of Pilates
Pilates can be beneficial to a wide range of people, from the young to the old, to the fit and healthy and to those that are diseased or are in pain. Specific benefits include the following:
• Reduced risk for injury
• Increase in flexibility • Strengthening of the body’s “core” which includes the back, hips, abdomen, etc. • Focused control of the muscles of the body • Possible improvement in balance and grace • Firm abdominal muscles • Increase in agility • Relief of anxiety and stress • Workout of the body as well as the mind • Limited amount of pressure to the joints of the body • Effective and safe workout for anyone • Improvement in health • Greater strength • Does not create unnecessary body bulk • Improvement in overall breathing |
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