Pilates Exercises To Follow and Avoid During Back Pain
Pilates exercises are ideal for preventing and reducing back pain including lower back pain. The main secret behind such exercises is that they provide strong support for the back enhances a proper alignment to be followed and Pilates and stretches some of the tight back muscles making them very flexible.
It is advisable that if you have been having back pain, you can consult a medical expert who can guide you on the right exercises to do. It is a fact that some of the exercises if not properly done are very dangerous and can lead to loss of lives.
When you have back pain, you should avoid hard physical work as it can worsen the situation. Below is a guide on the exercises one should follow and those that one should avoid when having back pain:
Pilates Exercises To Do
1. Pelvic Tilt to Pelvic Curl
Pelvic Curl is an exercise that is for anyone who experiences back pain especially lower back pain. In this physical activity, one learns how to make use of the abdominal muscles in a way to support and lengthen the lower back gently.
To begin with, the pelvic tilt for those who are comfortable with it then do the spinal articulation through a pelvic curl.
To do it, you are expected to lie on your back and bent your knees. Make your feet flat on the floor and ensure that your ankles, feet, and knees are aligned. This physical practice starts in the neutral spine where the neutral curves are present.
2. Chest Lifts
What most people mistake is the cause of the back pain? It is not a weak back muscle that causes it but rather weak abdominal muscles.
The best way to strengthen the abdominal muscles is doing chest lifts. When doing it, you have to follow the right procedure so as to get positive results.
Your hands should give support to the back of your head, but the work should come from the abdominal muscles not from pulling your head up or momentum. You should do it carefully so as not to experience neck pain which is not a good feeling.
If you are doing it for the first time, you should seek guidance from an expert.
3. Swan Prep
This is a physical exercise that is meant to strengthen the muscles that hold us upright generally called extensors. Whenever such muscles are weaker and overstretched, you will be able to experience back pain.
You should start and adapt slowly to this exercise as you will not be able to do it perfectly in the first trial. It takes some time to do it perfectly like models. For a start, just a few inches is fine and you will be able to adjust as time goes.
4. Swimming
This is another effective Pilates Exercises that can assist you to reduce back pain. Swimming makes the back extension work more as compared to the swan prep.
For it to strengthen the back, you must keep a long spine and take advantage of the abdominal support. This is an exercise that is all around as it stretches most of the muscles within the body.
In case you are not fully conversant with it, you can always do it with an expert who will guide you. You need to stretch the abdominal and back muscles, and after some time, the back pain will be history.
5. Cat /Cow Moves
These are the exercises for backstretch and back extension. They are meant to promote the flexibility of the spine. The reason why you experience back pain may be the rigidness of your spine.
A few of such exercises can do the trick! That is why most people use these physical activities like a warm-up exercise before embarking on the main activity the reason is to make the spine flexible.
6. Bird Dog
You start this physical practice on your hands and knees as you tighten your stomach muscles.
You lift and extend one leg behind you as you keep the hips level then hold for about 5 seconds before switching to the other leg. Repeat as many times as possible for each leg and try as much as possible to lengthen the hold time for each lift.
This is a practice that will enable you to stabilize the low back during the movements of your legs and arms. You should not let your lower back muscles sag.
What To Avoid
There are some exercises you should avoid when you have back pain. This is because they may worsen the situation or even injure some parts of your back.
1. Leg Lifts
You should avoid lifting both legs if you are weak since it can easily worsen the situation.
For it to be effective, you should lift both legs several times, but if you do not have enough strength to do so, you should avoid it. This is meant to strengthen your core or abdominal muscles.
2. Sit-Ups
Most people think that sit-ups strengthen the core or the abdominal muscles, but the mistake that most people do is that they tend to use the muscles in the hips when doing sit-ups.
If you are not very careful, this exercise can put excess pressure on your spine, and you end up experiencing more pain instead of reducing it.
3. Toe Touches
This puts a lot of stress on the disks and ligaments on your spine. Besides, they overstretch the lower back muscles and hamstrings. This increases the pain you experience on your back, and this may not be the permanent solution to your back pain.
Any discomfort at the beginning of the exercises should not be felt by the time you have achieved your goals. Therefore, you should avoid this practice when you experience such pains in your lower back.