Exercise For Back Pain: Pilates
June 18th, 2011 | Author: Pain
Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. His mother was a naturopath and his father a gymnast. Joseph, himself, suffered from many childhood ailments, including rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever. With such parentage and his own weaknesses, it was the perfect combination for him to see this as an opportunity to learn how to improve his physical well being. As he explored his own potential he developed his own beliefs around breathing and posture, ultimately developing his own exercises including exercise for back pain and other physical painful symptoms, as well as a way to keep the body strong and healthy.
It was when he migrated to the USA in 1925 that he started to teach his methods to develop the core muscles with particular attention to breathing and posture. The popularity of these methods then spilled into mainstream medical care with many therapists and clinics offering Pilates for physical rehab.
It is well known that such pain can be caused by weak core muscles, especially back muscles, that have lost a lot of their flexibility over the years. People need to exercise those muscles to strengthen them, but unable to do so, because of the pain. They find themselves in a catch 22 situation and consequently, do not attempt any exercise for back pain, and suffer, much also, to the chagrin of family and carers.
Pilates does offer a very low impact alternative. If someone has broken bones, however, then that is a different matter altogether. And, as always, I recommend that if someone has these pains, or wishes to start an exercise programme, where there is a history of back problems, that they first speak with their doctor.
That said, Pilates routines have helped many who have suffered trauma to the back, from various kinds of stresses physical challenges. These routines balance and strengthen the lower back support muscles as well as hips and pelvic area of the torso. They help develop core strength and so prevent further muscle injury or muscle degradation due to lack of exercise.
A simple series of back stretches for back pain are key to building up core strength, much the same way that gymnasts began their training, with many many stretching excercises, as part of their daily routine. Over time, they develop the flexibility that those with this condition can only dream about. It is from his early routes and gymnastic background, that Pilates has been developed and adapted to be the popular and effective option for back therapy today.
Pilates exercise for back pain has been shown to be very effective when used by those with acute and chronic back problems, osteoporosis, sports, car and work placement related injuries (bad posture at work, for example), head injuries and even scoliosis. It has helped physical therapists be able to work with each sufferer to discover what movement limitation that person has and how best to help that person develop a better core strength, thus relieving their back problem.
Incidentally, even those who are in a wheelchair can significantly improve their well being, by strengthening their core through Pilates exercises.