Pilates for Back Pain

Why should you try Pilates for back pain where there are so many other exercises and therapies out there? If you have a standing chiropractor or massage appointment to relieve your back pain, perhaps you should look at addressing the cause of the pain, not the symptom. 

It is common to feel like you need to stretch out your back for your back pain; however, it may be that you need to stretch the front side of your body, your legs, or lateral body in order to alleviate the pain. 

Those tight muscles, body imbalances, and weakness are all things that can contribute to back pain, and – surprise! – Pilates works on them all. Pilates targets your entire body and range of motion to find and treat what the root problem is. 

The beautiful thing that I see as a Pilates teacher, is that many of my clients are able to reduce their visits to physio, chiropractor, and massage, as they get stronger and more mobile from Pilates. That means better mobility all day, every day – not just after their specialist appointment. 

*Note: it is very important to have any ongoing pain checked out by a doctor before starting a new fitness routine. 

5 Reasons Pilates is Different

Pilates offers several things that other fitness methods do not, all of which are meant to get your body moving as it is designed to do. 

1. Pilates’ exercises are arranged in a particular order. Each movement prepares you for the next, and builds you up to do more advanced exercises. Each exercise has a reason to exist, and a reason for its place in the session. 
2. This system of exercises is designed to move your body in all the ways that it can move:  Flexion, extension, rotation, lateral flexion, and so on. Not all fitness programs do this! 
3. Pilates makes use of both body weight exercises, while also challenging you (or modifying for you), with apparatus such as the reformer.
4. These apparatus and small equipment are designed to be adjustable and adaptable for each individual. If you can’t do a specific exercise yet, we can turn to our equipment for support until you get there. 
5. All of us, including me, have different needs. Even in a group class, we can modify to address each person’s tightnesses or weaknesses so they get the most benefit. 

Can Men Do Pilates for Back Pain?

I have a gentleman who has been coming to the studio for quite some time, doing both Pilates and personal training once a week. When he started, however, it was a different story. He was only doing personal training, and was very against trying Pilates. Even after several functional strength training sessions, he was struggling with back pain on a daily basis. Just sitting to watch his daughter’s soccer game was uncomfortable. Finally, his wife convinced him to try five Pilates sessions. 

After only two Pilates sessions, he was sold! His pack pain had reduced immensely. Now, he sometimes requests to do Pilates instead of strength work because of how it makes him feel. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, he missed several months of in-person training. Guess what? His back pain returned. This client is the perfect example of how the Pilates system works. 

Read: How Pilates Fixed My Back Pain

Got back pain? Try Pilates! Sign up for the Introduction to Pilates Package first, to get you ready for the group mat and apparatus classes.