Pilates for Rehabilitation

Nothing feels more debilitating than getting injured. At first, you can feel defeated due to the ‘inconvenience’ on your plans and lifestyle. On the flip side, it could be the start of a tremendous journey of re-discovery, new plans, and strength not yet experienced before.

What Causes Injuries?

In general, there are two ways in which injuries occur. An acute injury is a single blunt force or a traumatic event such as a fall or collision that can result in fractures, dislocations, breaks, or sprains. Overuse injuries are usually subtle and occur over time from misalignment, poor form, and/or repetitive movements that cause an imbalance in the body. Many weekend warriors that primarily sit all week and then go hardcore with an extreme sport and no cross-training end up with injuries. The most common injuries are to the wrist, back, shoulder, hips and knees. 

Whether recovering from a pulled muscle in the lower back or hip surgery, learning to connect to your core will improve your quality of life so that you can learn to move more effectively and with less pain in the long run.

Why Pilates?

Pilates is an excellent way to prepare the body for everyday activities as well as for sports or other strenuous forms of exercise and is recommended by PT’s and doctors due to its therapeutic nature. It’s a whole-body exercise that promotes agility, strength, and good posture. A healthy body requires both mobility and stability and Pilates meets those needs. Pilates exercises can be modified to meet the injured clients’ needs in their current state. If the injured client is in acute pain there are plenty of exercises/modifications to work around the affected area creating strength and support.

Pilates can alleviate aspects of the psychological toll an injury places on an individual.

If you bring full attention to the exercise and do it with full commitment, you will obtain maximum value from it. As a result, the injured client feels they play an integral role in their healing.

A consistent Pilates practice gives you strength from the inside out. It aligns and balances the Musculoskeletal system, increases bone density, and improves balance and range of motion. Pilates enhances proprioception, (knowing/sensing where you are in space) which improves self-awareness. All of this equals a body with improved reflexes and balance which in turn aids in preventing falls and/or injuries that stem from overuse or repetitive actions. 

It’s important that you find a qualified Pilates instructor with training and experience for dealing with injuries and rehabilitation.

When injured, the conventional Pilates repertoire is not suitable as modifications are necessary.

Overall, Pilates with a qualified instructor is a safe and progressive method on the journey of rehabilitation.