Pilates for the back | Benefits and tips

Benefits of Pilates for the back

The practice of the Pilates method provides us with a large number of benefits, many of them aimed at the health of the back and spine. The Pilates method is a training discipline that exercises the whole body in a healthy and global way. It is very common, due to our lifestyle, postures or certain gestures that we are forced to perform and repeat for many hours a day, that our back suffers overloads, pain or certain injuries if it is not stable, strong and flexible.

We get a lot of benefits for the back, such as:

• Strengthening of the internal muscles of the spine.
• It makes the spine more flexible.
• Aligns the spine, rib cage and shoulder girdle.
• Strengthens the dynamic muscles of the back.
• Stabilises the shoulder girdle preventing shoulder pain and injuries.
• Strengthens the intercostal musculature which aids correct breathing.
• Balances the muscle chains that support and move the neck.
• It prevents injuries and pains that may appear in the spine and back and helps to improve existing ones.
• Improves posture.

Strengthening of the back muscles

The work done in the Pilates method always starts from the energy centre or «Powerhouse». From here, the strength and movement will go to the rest of the body. Thanks to this way of working, the internal musculature that stabilises and supports the joints is strengthened, thus preventing weakness or instability that can lead to pressure and subsequent pain. We manage to balance, stabilise and strengthen the muscles that support and move the spine, shoulder girdle and shoulders. In this way, the musculature will be more resistant to fatigue and overloading will be avoided, which can lead to subsequent injuries in areas of the back or even more distal, in the limbs.

Improved posture and spinal alignment

The Pilates method, as well as strengthening the muscles and stabilising the joints, works at the same time on flexibility and muscular elasticity, establishing a balance between internal and external muscles, which gives greater functionality. This balance between the muscular chains of the back helps the spine to acquire a correct alignment which, together with the global work of the rest of the body, will lead to a better general posture.

Pain relief and reduction of muscle tension

By working in depth on the spine, its alignment, strength and flexibility, the muscles are balanced, stretching the shorter muscles and strengthening the weaker ones, making them more resistant to fatigue and thus reducing their tension. A better posture will be favoured, relieving pain in areas that were previously compromised and under pressure.

Tips for safe Pilates practice

The Pilates method is presented as one of the safest training systems for exercising the body in a global way and with a high quality of results due to its multiple benefits for physical, psychological and emotional well-being, key aspects for maintaining good health. For this it is advisable to have teachers specialised in the original Pilates method, due to their ability to adapt to each person and physical condition.

The ideal, always, is to establish individual sessions where all the objectives are worked on and prioritised, in a personal way, in order to take into account and improve any pain or injury, or simply the general physical condition.

Consultation with a Pilates professional

Tell your teacher if you have or have suffered any ailment, injury, or if you need any special needs so that he/she can take into account all the necessary modifications when performing the exercises and always help you to improve. Always make sure that the session is given by a qualified professional, who knows how to act if you have any pain and to prevent forcing structures that may be suffering. The important thing is that your goals and needs are met effectively, but without hurting yourself.

Listen to your body and don't force your movements.

The Pilates method makes us exercise our body in a very conscious way, which allows us to get to know ourselves in depth and identify our limits in order to work on what we are interested in according to our needs. Although the results start to appear from the first session, we must be cautious, controlling the movements very well and not rushing into gestures or actions for which the body is not yet ready. It is recommended that in each session you pay attention and remember the corrections and sensations that you have had in order to internalise them and apply them in successive sessions. The work will become more productive and effective. You can review them mentally at the end of your session and your body will assimilate them much better.

Use proper equipment and ensure correct posture

In the Pilates method we use a specific and exclusive apparatus with spring systems, straps, resistances and assists, which allow us to concentrate the strength of our energy centre to achieve, from there, in each movement and exercise, objectives that lead us to balance and work in a functional way our whole body. In this way, our body structures will work in balance, re-establishing functions that could be lost or unbalanced and favouring a good body position and general posture for any daily activity.

In addition, if you practice any other sport or training discipline, its combination with the Pilates method is extremely effective. You will be able to work the muscles that are not normally exercised with other workouts, leaving them unbalanced. This will improve your general posture, which will help you to achieve a more efficient sporting gesture and a better performance in your sport or activity.

Conclusions

When we suffer continuous pain, it is very likely to generate not only physical stress but also psychological stress. The Pilates method offers us, with its way of working, through concentration, an important mental exercise that will help us to put control over our body and get a much more intelligent way of working the movement, making it conscious, so that we can then apply it to other activities in the day. Joseph Pilates developed with his method a system of exercises that focus not only on strengthening our muscles, but also on making our spine more flexible by providing normal movement, helping to create space between each of our vertebrae and working on the correct alignment of this and with it on the alignment of the rest of the body. This is the key that makes contrology one of the best systems for the treatment or prevention of countless ailments that will help us to maintain a young spine and a strong and resistant back.