Do you have lower back pain?
Chances are, you or someone you know has experienced a form of lower back (LBP) pain at some stage in life. Pilates may have been recommended to you by either a friend, family member, doctor or physiotherapist but does Pilates really work and if so, how?
The simple answer is yes. Not only can Pilates alleviate lower back pain but it can also prevent an occurrence of it. So the next question is how?
A lot of people believe the answer is strengthening their ‘core.’ But the truth is there is limited evidence backing up the idea that core strength is directly linked to alleviating LBP.
The actual answer is movement. Not only the act of movement but adherence to it. Pilates will educate you and your body. What’s even better, Pilates is fun, therefore you are more likely to continue with it.
When you have a sore lower back, the last thing you feel like doing is moving, it almost seems counterintuitive. Your body is feeling sore and stiff, but being static is going to be more detrimental to your body. In fact, not moving is becoming increasingly common in today’s society. People are spending more time sitting at a desk, in their cars and on the couch. In fact, the term ‘sitting is the new smoking’ has been thrown around.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, I didn’t injure my back while I was sitting on the couch. I was actually swinging my golf club, reaching down to pick up my toddler or simply picking a pen up from the floor. It’s usually these very small everyday acts that are the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ which, I need to add, is just a phrase.
Our body is extremely intelligent and has our best interests in mind, so when it stiffens up after an injury, we usually get extremely frustrated and lose confidence in our body. This is where
Pilates comes in.
Pilates is a safe and reliable form of movement to bring back confidence in your body again. A typical Pilates class will consist of reconnecting to your breath, improving your flexibility and strength, and coordinating your movement patterns to give you the tools to get to know your body. Once we get to know our body we can move and nourish it the way it needs, and avoid any of that nasty LBP.
Our team at Mind Your Movement Pilates would love to hear from you if you are experiencing lower back pain and would like to know if we can help.