By: Joanna Hoch
If you enjoy the way that your body feels after receiving an adjustment, chances are you have wondered what else you can be doing in your life to further beget that refreshing feeling of when your body is in proper alignment. The Pilates method is a modality of exercise that will do just that.
Perhaps you have tried activities like lifting weights or running to feel more vital and fit, but these activities on their own seem to leave your body with various aches and pains that almost negate any perceived benefits. The problem in these instances is so often discernable to poor movement mechanics caused by muscular imbalances, limited range of motion in the joints, and a lack of core strength. Pilates is a low impact form of exercise that will work toward correcting imbalances in the body, increasing the range of motion in your joints, and strengthening the muscles of the core.
I have found with many of my clients one of the most immediate and valuable things a regular Pilates practice cultivates is improved body awareness. When practicing the exercises of the Pilates method, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on the position of the spine. Often you will work in a position that is referred to as neutral spine, which allows for the natural curves in the sacrum, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and cervical spine. It is generally the safest and strongest position of your spine from a structural standpoint. In order to do this, you must learn to feel the difference between when you are in neutral spine and when you aren’t, which can be difficult in and of itself, when factors such as tight hamstrings or tight hip flexors can influence your ability to even get into your neutral spine position. Once you are able to achieve neutral spine, Pilates exercises begin to teach you how to hold yourself in that position by using your breath to engage your deep abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominis, also known as the core muscles. Chances are if you have ever mentioned having back pain to your doctor, he or she has suggested strengthening your core, with or without further suggestion on how to do so. The core muscles can be tricky to activate, which is why so many of us are weak in that regard, even people who are otherwise very strong can still have weak cores. Many of the fundamental level Pilates mat exercises will cultivate a strong and stable core while at the same time stretching and strengthening the muscles in and around joints especially the hips and shoulders.
Learning how to bring your spine into neutral and having the core strength to support it in that position, ultimately causes a chain reaction of sorts, allowing the rest of your body to come into a more neutral position as well, which will over time cause your overall movement mechanics to change and improve. The increased body awareness that you can develop by practicing Pilates will translate into the ability to perform many physical activities, such as lifting weights or running, more safely and effectively than before. But more importantly, you will feel stronger and internally supported in activities of your everyday life, such as walking and sitting in a chair, like you just got a really good adjustment that lasts.
Joanna Hoch is a Tier 2 trainer at Equinox Fitness San Francisco, ACSM certified personal trainer, graduate of Balanced Body University Pilates teacher training program, Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher, and WKC kettlebell fitness trainer.
To schedule a complimentary training session with Joanna…simply call 510-326-8721 and mention this article, and Executive Express Chiropractic.
There is a lot of confusing information available about back pain. I like to keep things simple by using a quick little test. Try this out. It’ll literally take 1 minute.
Lie down on your back for 30 seconds with legs extended out, resting on the floor. Now bend your knees so the feet are sitting flat on the floor near your behind for 30 seconds. Which one feels better? If your back pain diminishes with knees bent then your spine has excessive extension stress acting on it. There are simple exercises to correct this. If your spine felt better with legs extended then you have excessive flexion stress acting on your spine. Again this is easily correctable.
Chronic pain results from a cycle of issues. Anatomical problems feed biomechanical issues which then affect movement habits that reinforce the original anatomical and biomechanical problems. Fixing back pain requires attention to all three levels. It's quite simple to correct though and outlined this in my book. I’m very successful treating chronic pain and it is likely this information will be the key you’ve been missing to fix your pain. I’ve also posted this test on YouTube, if you’re interested.
Posted by: Rick Olderman | February 23, 2010 at 07:35 PM