Yes, Pilates Helps Back Pain

Pilates helps with back pain of many kinds, my own included! I’ve seen people with back pain from a variety of reasons, including car accidents, sports injuries or falls, scoliosis, poor posture, sitting for long periods of time, and imbalances in strength or mobility. There may be some situations where Pilates may not be the answer (always speak to a medical professional!), but with consistency in Pilates, I’ve seen so many people become pain-free. Of course, depending on the circumstances, the type of Pilates sessions you need will be different. 

Recovering From a Serious Injury

For a more serious injury, one on one sessions are usually the best option. This allows us to cater the session to the client’s needs, like using various apparatuses rather than doing a full group mat or reformer class. 

Several years ago I had a client who seriously injured her knee playing baseball. After surgery (or two) and years of using crutches or a cane to get around, her compromised gait and limitations in her movement led to hip and back pain. If you know Pilates, you know that there are a lot of exercises done on your back. This client’s pain was so intense that she couldn’t lie down for longer than five minutes at a time. 

The beautiful thing about Pilates is that there are a lot of other options, including standing and sitting exercises. There is wall work and devices like the C-shaper, the pedi-pol, and the wunda chair that offer ways to build core strength and stability plus get some lovely stretches. We eventually got her to a point where she was able to join the group classes. 

Pilates Helps Back Pain From Scoliosis

Scoliosis is another reason for back pain that we see often, some more severe than others.  Some people are unaware they even have it!  Due to the curve in the spine, one side of the body is usually shortened and tight while the other side is longer and potentially overstretched. While Pilates won’t cure scoliosis, it can help relieve some of the pain due to these imbalances in strength from one side of the body to the other.

We do this by focusing on lengthening and strengthening with the client, and breathing into the shortened side. Through the awareness and improvement of posture and strengthening of the core, back pain can often be reduced or even eliminated in people with scoliosis. 

Back Pain From Hypermobility

Have you ever met someone who is hypermobile? Or maybe you are yourself. These people can easily move their joints past what most of us can. This isn’t the same as being flexible, which has to do with the muscles and fascia. With practice, we can all become more flexible and maybe even to the splits. Hypermobility, on the other hand, has to do with how the joints move and the tendons stretch. 

Hypermobile people may not experience pain, but I’ve had some come in with a lot of pain, often in their hips and back. These clients need to build strength and stability around their joints and may need to be taught awareness of how they move and gain more control. 

Back Pain Related to Work

We spend a lot of time at work, which usually means a lot of sitting, standing in one place, repetitive movements, or even lifting. All of these can contribute to back pain. Since many of us are guilty of it, let’s see how Pilates helps back pain from sitting too much. 

Sitting all day means the hip flexors aren’t getting used much; instead, they’re in a constant, contracted ~90 degree position. To counter this, you need to both build strength by getting deeper hip flexion, and also lengthen and open up the hips. The other bits of the body that need strengthening are the glutes, back extensors, and core muscles to help improve posture.  

In addition to back pain, these people often have neck pain, which can be countered by lengthening and strengthening. Then there is the related tight chest, forward shoulders, and sore wrists and/or forearms. Pilates will help to build postural strength, stretch the front side of the body, and work on the mobility of the shoulders, wrists and even elbows to help find relief.

How Long Does Pilates Take to Help Back Pain?

The reason for your back pain will partly determine how quickly you find relief, as will how consistent you are with your practice. I’ve had clients who find they only need a couple of sessions to be pain free, while others have needed much longer. If it’s taken years to acquire your back pain, it might be a longer process. Pain can sneak up on you, but with time and consistency, you will find that Pilates helps your back pain, too.