What is your understanding about lower back pain?
Low back pain (LBP) is a common disorder seen in physio practice. Nearly 75–85% of people have experienced LBP. There are 3 main types of LBP: 1. Specific spinal pathology, 2. Nerve root pain 3. Nonspecific LBP.
The chronic nonspecific LBP is the most common type of LBP statistically. When someone has LBP for more than 12 weeks, the condition becomes chronic. This often causes disability, and severely affect a person's quality of life.
Natour et al. reported that 12 weeks of Pilates (24 total hours of training) could reduce CLBP pain for 24 weeks.
How clinical pilates helps with lower back pain?
Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s. Pilates blends Western yoga, Greek and Roman gymnastics, karate, and Zen, among others, and has developed into a series of physical and mental conditioning exercises.
1. Body Awareness
People with low back pain has altered body awareness which can cause imbalance and overloading in musculature. Clinical pilates facilitates performing movements in front of mirrors to help reconnect the brain and the body. Better body awareness promotes better positioning of your lower back spine which will help to reduce lower back pain.
2. Addresses Fear of Movement
Many of the LBP clients I see walk into the clinic with very stiff back. They are very careful not to move their back as they don't want to do further damage or try to avoid pain. However, this can cause major problems as it further reduces lower back mobility and poor movement patterns start to develop.
Clinical Pilates classes from Breathe Physio & Pilates make sure you only do the movements that are appropriate and pain free for you. We focus on techniques and form, and watch you do every single exercise. This way you won't aggravate your pain but instead you are on the right path towards recovery.
3. Improves Muscle Strength
Clinical pilates also focuses on strengthening your core stability muscles to improve lower back pain and posture. Here at Breathe Physio & Pilates we use pilates mat, pilates ball, pilates ring and a machine called pilates reformer to build up both local and global groups of muscles throughout the body.
We prescribe exercises that will safely improve your strength without flaring up the spine.
References:
1. Lin, H. T., Hung, W. C., Hung, J. L., Wu, P. S., Liaw, L. J., & Chang, J. H. (2016). Effects of pilates on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(10), 2961–2969. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.28.2961