the Pilates it is a physical activity that has different health benefits since improves body posture, provides flexibility, Generates stability in the joints, promotes control of the motor system and tones and strengthens the muscles; as indicated in Take carePlus Laura Bonilla, Physiotherapist and Pilates teacher at the King Juan Carlos University Clinic in Madrid. In the same vein, the Clara Miranda Physiotherapy Center, of Zaragoza, explains that Pilates, Either on the ground or in machines, “Helps to correct bad postures, Prevents joint pain and lumbopelvic pain in pregnant women and is especially indicated to treat pathologies like column deviations, Increased back curves, hernias and / or disc protrusions or decreased mobility and flexibility of the spine “.
Then Pilates can help fight back pain? According to the specialists consulted there are a number of exercises that can control back pain, but warn that they should always be done under the supervision of qualified personnel. “In the acute phases of pain, It would be recommended to work lying face up, Fully supporting the column on the mattress. At this time mobility and stretching exercises are recommended and may be inserted strengthening exercises gradually“That is, those that are a low load for our back,” advises Bonilla. In his opinion, after performing these exercises you must be very careful and pay attention if the pain increases after class or after 24 hours because it will be an indicator that the effort has been excessive.
“It will be essential to perform the exercises in a very controlled way, if you can be guided and supervised at all times by a physiotherapist or health professional, as the prescribed exercises must be individualized to the patient’s history and pathology, “insists Bonilla.
Six Pilates Exercises for Back Pain
For its part, from the Clara Miranda Physiotherapy Center provide some examples of Pilates exercises on the floor that are useful for the back:
Anteversion and retroversion of lying pelvis
Lay it upside down, with knees bent and feet resting on the floor at hip width with the lumbar area detached: take air through the nose and expel it through the mouth, trying to stick the lumbar area to the floor. To do this, contract the abdomen (putting the navel) without lifting the buttocks off the ground. Inhale through the nose taking off the earth’s lumbar spine to return to the starting position. Do 15 repetitions of this exercise.
Upside down column extension
Push back upside down with legs apart, with arms at the sides of the body, take in air through the nose and when exhaling it perform an extension of the trunk by lifting head and torso without raising the legs off the ground. Extending arms to feet. bring the navel to the ceiling while releasing air to climb the trunk. “It is advisable to perform between 12 and 15 repetitions, making sure that there are no discomforts in the lumbar area,” comment from the Clara Miranda Physiotherapy Center.
Swan upside down
Continue lying face down with legs apart, hands resting on the mattress, take in air through your nose and exhale to make a trunk extension lifting head and trunk without raising the legs off the ground. Activate the abdominal girdle and glutes as you release air to raise the torso. Then catch your breath again and go down bending elbows supporting the trunk again and head on the mattress. Perform 12 repetitions.
Bridge over shoulders
Again, you need to lie face up, with your knees bent and your feet resting on the floor at hip width with the lumbar area slightly detached, take in air through your nose and expel it through your mouth, trying to stick the lumbar area to the floor and raise the pelvis until it is on the scapulae. During the climb, it is necessary contract the abdomen inward. Then take in air without lowering your pelvis with glute contraction and slowly lower your spine until you support the floor back to the starting position. It is advisable to do 12 repetitions and maintain the balance of the pelvis while articulating the spine as you go up and down. “Exercise can be complicated by raising one leg to the ceiling and elevating the pelvis to the ceiling with one leg resting on the floor and the other stretched straight to the ceiling,” they detail.
The mermaid
You have to sit on a mattress, with buttocks resting on it, one leg bent in front of the body and the other bent to the side. Then take air through your nose by raising your arm to the ceiling and release the air to tilt your back sideways closer to the floor and activating the deepest muscles of the abdomen. “We inhale in the lateral C position of the spine and again exhale the air through the mouth in the middle making strength of the abdomen,” they nuance and add: “8 repetitions are recommended on each side letting go of the air to the mouth and lowering each repetition closer to the ground “.
the cat
Must be placed in position of four supports, Resting hands shoulder-width apart and knees hip-width apart on the floor with your back aligned and your head in line with the rest of your back, taking in air through your nose and expelling your navel inward and from the pelvis to the head perform a spine flexion bringing the vertebrae toward the ceiling. “We inhale through the nose and when exhaling we bring the spine back to the starting position from the head to the pelvis, repeating this exercise 10 times,” they point out.
Other Pilates Health Benefits
Susana Rodríguez, Head of Sanepilates and member of the Professional Association of Physiotherapists of the Community of Madrid, Agrees that Pilates provides strength, elasticity, coordination, stability through the work of the muscles and, in general, it achieves the balance of the body from the voluntary control of the same. “Its purpose is the self-knowledge of the body, to understand what is the correct functioning of each joint, what allows to obtain from our body maximum performance. So, in addition to body work, it is done a cognitive or mental activity based on concentration to get control of the body, “says Rodriguez.
In this sense, for this expert the main benefit of Pilates is the injury prevention. “Many injuries are caused by a repetitive incorrect movement of a joint or body segment, so learning to move this segment correctly is essential for its rehabilitation and to prevent future recurrences,” considers Rodríguez.
From a psychological point of view, the Clara Miranda Physiotherapy Center emphasizes that Pilates improves mood for endorphin release and facilitates rest by decreasing the Stress. “It also has other benefits such as improving balance, coordination and attention, helping in learning how to breathe properly, and it is also a method of fitness for athletes and dancers“, They describe.
On the other hand, Bonilla emphasizes that one of the main advantages of Pilates is that “it can be practiced by anyone“From those who are completely healthy and want to exercise to those with injuries, previous pathologies or structural alterations”.