Pilates for Rehabilitation
If you are recovering from injury or have experienced chronic pains, Pilates provides a wonderful way to ease into a fitness program. It conditions your muscles in a balanced way. You can safely do Pilates every day without overstressing your muscles or joints. Check with your physician to be sure you can participate in Pilates exercise and then call us at 508-754-3327. We can help you reduce pain, increase strength and stability and improve mobility.
How Pilates can help
Joeseph Pilates developed a system of exercise that increases coordination and strength in the deep abdominal muscles. Recent research indicates that this provides stability and protection for the lumbar spine, an area commonly associated with back pain. Regular Pilates practice can be part of an effective program to reduce back pain, and increase strength and moblity.
Poor posture, health problems, acute injuries and repetitive strains often result in muscle imbalances. These imbalances are the cause of many ongoing physical limitations and pains. Injured muscles can become shortened and tight or lenghtened and weak. Once an imbalance occurs people lose efficient muscle action and tend to develop compensatory muscle patterns and faulty movement patterns. Some muscles become overused and others underused. These inefficient patterns often become normalized and result in additional imbalances, strains and pains.
Pilates can help by retraining muscles to work as they should, teaching people how to recruit muscles to produce efficient, safe movement. Strengthening and restoring muscle function does not require the use of heavy weights or big rapid motions, but rather gentle, progressive motions done with good postural alignment. Pilates exercises use of controlled movements enhances balance and coordination, while strengthening the core stabilizing muscles including the transverse abdominus, multifidus and pelvic floor. Using good alignment and controlled motions these gentle exercises are less iikely to lead to re-injury. At the same time, they are quite challenging and require a true mind body connection.
Most people have developed their problems over many years. Restoring healthy movement patterns, muscle balance and strength does not happen overnight, but it does happen and many people notice improvements after only a short time of doing Pilates. Call us at 508-754-3327, we can help.
Client testimonial
I've been a student at BodyMindBalance for only a short time, but there has been documented medical proof that my spinal issues are improving as a result of the Pilates mat classes I'm taking. I was referred to BMB Pilates by the UMass Memorial Spine Center. At first I feared that overworking my spine might trigger a relapse or even make things worse. However, the workouts are very safe, and very effective. When I say safe, you have to experience attending other pilates classes elsewhere to understand how dedicated Peter and his staff are to the safety issue and modifications. I took a few pilates classes at my gym and the instructor did not focus on breathing, nor was the focus on form. It was simply focusing on a workout. With the breathing and importance of form stressed at BMB, I feel confident that my goals to strengthen my spine will be achieved. In addition, before the class my physical condition was assessed by Jen and Peter to see what modifications I might need beforehand and to determine which class was best for me. Thanks Peter and staff for helping me get better!
Tammi Yiakoumatos, Northbridge, MA
