Can Pilates Really Help Lower Back Pain?

A significant number of my clients come in with lower back pain. For most, the pain crept up on them. They started feeling it after a long stressful day at work or when they've been cooped up in a plane or car for several hours. The unfortunate thing is, if not addressed, the pain can linger and become chronic. They are looking for relief. I tell them, "You've come to the right place!"

Fortunately, Pilates is a great way to recover from your chronic pain. Pilates can decompress your spine and get you back into alignment. Sitting bent over a computer is a daily occurrence for most of us. Our bodies grow accustomed to this crouched position, and if not balanced with awareness and elongation... it can start to be second nature. This causes constant, unnecessary pressure on our bodies. Secretly, our bodies yearn for that extra stretch and opportunity to oxygenate.

With Pilates you can find that stretch, that elongation, and in addition you'll get to strengthen your "core" (deep abdominals) and many other muscle groups, as well as access tangible assistance from the support of breathing with awareness. These are just a few of the key components that will guide you back to living pain-free.

Here's an example: The back of the leg is just as important as the front. Many mainstream workouts focus on quadriceps (front of thighs) strength without sufficient focus on the hamstrings (back of thighs). When we overuse our quadriceps to the point of over-activating our hip flexors (crucial muscles around the hip joint), this torques the pelvis and leaves the hamstrings unengaged. Consequently, the rest of our lower body strength becomes compromised, throwing our whole alignment off and causing uneven weight bearing. The hamstrings and whole 'back line', usually very tight and hard to access, are neglected, and this furthers the vicious spiral into imbalance.

How we carry ourselves in relationship to gravity is essential and can be very revealing. Do you hunch forward and slouch? Or tuck your tailbone while standing? When walking do you keep your attention toward the floor? All these are indications about how we are compromising our deepest support. A shift happens when you engage more of the 'back line' and lift your waist and ribs up out of your hips while simultaneously staying connected to your feet, thus activating and strengthening a whole new set of muscles that are usually overlooked.

With the help of equipment such as the Pilates reformer, cadillac, and wunda chair, there is an opportunity to access this muscle group with simultaneous support from the rest of your body - hence allowing for a full body workout where everything is active and engaged with balance and breadth.

With Pilates you can go from the stress of what's become second nature into the support of first nature: longer, leaner muscles, decompression of the spine, and the grace of proper alignment. You are capable of attaining this and much more with a steady practice of Pilates. Chronic pain and lower back stress do not have to be a way of life!