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Exercises pdf file download online attached
Pilates is a system of exercises performed on a mat or equipment to promote strength, stability, and flexibility. If you are a fitness enthusiast, you've probably seen, heard of or even performed Pilates. With a multitude of benefits and fast results, it's no wonder why Pilates has been increasing in it's popularity over the years. But what about back pain? Can Pilates be done with lower back pain? How about helping the pain, can Pilates alleviate back pain?
Furthermore, what about our clients? Pilates instructors surveyed say low back pain is the most common injury listed on studio waivers. Should Pilates instructors keep clients in modification mode forever or is there a path forward to pain free movement?
We had the amazing opportunity to connect with Lynne Broodryk of Go Pro Pilates to discuss the benefits of Pilates exercise and how it may alleviate pain in the body, specifically the lower back. Let's jump right into this informative discussion.
Lynne Broodryk
We started off talking about pain in general and interestingly enough many associations started to click into place. Lynne, very knowledgable on the subject, let us know, "New research has shown that pain is processed through the heart and your thoughts via the brain. So the pain that you can express through words, is not necessarily a true reflection of what is going on in the body." For example, "If you have back pain for instance, your body naturally wants to go into the fetal position to protect your organs and the mind goes into fight or flight mode. The mind will not respond to the correct instructions until this panic mode has been released."
Lynne let us know that at this point "is where the miracle workings of a Chiro, physiotherapist, physical therapist and a bio comes to play." They help to minimize their patients pain to a bearable level but since being out of fight and flight mode is a new, hopefully temporary state the body is not used to, it can lead to repeat injuries.
Ultimately, "This is the stage where we have the privilege of turning a patient into a client".
A healthy, pain free, Pilates client.
Lynne also suggests that, "As Pilates instructors we can step in and stop the vicious cycle of patients ending back at the physiotherapist with exactly the same problem a few months later."
There is a grey area between physiotherapy and Pilates, with many believing it is used for stretching, or like yoga, or only used for rehab. Lynne's Go Pro Pilates moves into the clinical field of Pilates to transition clients from post-rehab to Pilates. She aims to take the exercises prescribed by physiotherapists and incorporate the Pilates principles.
Let's Walk Through The Technique
1- The starting point is breath. With breath alone, we as teachers will be able to identify where the almost dissolved pain is centered on the body. With breath and fascia work, we will take the body out of fight and flight mode so the mind can respond correctly to the instruction it receives.
2- Once the body is out of fight or flight, we need to...
"Create new neural pathways or just remind the brain of the correct patterns of how to recruit the correct muscles and in which order." This is why the recruitment of mobilizer muscles vs stabilizer muscles are so important. 3- We then take the prescribed exercises and work in the correct range of motion of each joint, in order to create new neural habits. 4- "After the healthy pathways have been established, it is Pilates time!"
Final Thoughts
The correlation between pain and movement is just as much mental as it is physical, but there is a healing path forward. Lynne was generous enough to share her 8 week process of being pain free with us. Feel free to view below. Perhaps opening our mind to a new technique can help our clients and us move pain free, or at least discover where the pain initiated from to begin with. Either way, movement is medicine and if this protocol can keep us moving, we're in!
Lower back protocol - The 8 week process of being pain free.
Did you try this protocol? Let us know how it worked out for you.