Pilates for lower back pain

I have personally incurred countless injuries to various parts of my body, usually because of an overzealous approach to sport, though falling off bikes and out of trees have also been culprits – amazingly, I’ve never broken a bone, dislocations – yes, torn muscles – yes, sprains & strains – yes..so I know a thing or two about the pain and frustration felt on the road to recovery.

As well as no breaks, another thing I’ve managed to escape is chronic lower back pain, or as it is often referred to –
‘non specific low back pain’, where the exact reason for the pain cannot be diagnosed.
An incredible 60 – 80% of adults will experience some form of low back pain during their lifetime and this structural dis-ease accounts for the majority of reported absences from work here in the UK.

Constant pain, or a continuous debilitating injury is most unpleasant, yet I’m not writing this article to lament over the negative statistics; but rather to throw out some hope and positivity that there are solutions available and Pilates might just be the one for you!

Good fortune I’m sure has been on my side, yet I’d also like to think an element of avoiding any persistent back problems has been due to having a relatively strong core and a decent amount of flexibility and these are two fundamental aspects you can expect to achieve or improve on when practicing Pilates.

I literally can’t tell you how many men and women I’ve had come to my classes, all bent out of shape with this very issue, who find relief from the pain that plagued them.
Over time, with proper diligent technique and consistent practice, they’ve experienced a wonderful freedom of movement.
Exactly which exercise fixed them…you may wonder? Sometimes the answer to that is as non specific as the problem itself. The Pilates system works the whole body by strengthening & stretching each muscle accordingly and this holistic synergy is what makes it effective.

– This article has been published in the June edition of Life Magazines – http://www.lifemagazines.co.uk