Recovering from an injury can be a confusing time. You might still have residual pain, decreased range of movement and be hesitant to return back to exercising. Pilates was invented by a man called Joseph Pilates who organically created injury rehabilitation movements for injured soldiers from the war. He modified hospital beds with springs and ropes to help the soldiers rehabilitate from their injuries whilst still in hospital. Pilates is now very well known for being one of the best ways to rehabilitate from injuries as it’s so versatile and accessible. In this blog, we will highlight the main reasons why Pilates can assist injury rehabilitation.
‘Wakes up’ stability muscles
The muscles of the human body are either labelled as local muscles or global muscles. Local muscles are usually smaller and located close to bones and joints and are responsible for creating stability. Global muscles are more superficial, usually larger and are responsible for short bursts of power. After an injury, pain and swelling cause the stability muscles to be inhibited or ‘switched off’. Research has shown that these muscles do not automatically regain their stabilisation ability without specific retraining. Pilates exercises are designed for this specific purpose, to ‘wake up’ the local stabilising muscles around the affected area. Pilates does this by creating mind to body connection while increasing proprioception (awareness of the body in space). Pilates also uses breathing techniques to help calm the central nervous system which is on high alert after an injury.
Pilates can slowly build intensity and endurance
Another great way that Pilates can assist injury rehabilitation is by adjusting the intensity and endurance of the affected area. Pilates uses spring tension and resistance with most exercises. This tension and resistance can be tailored to exactly the right amount for you. It can also be increased as you regain strength to slowly build back endurance. This is also a great way to measure progress as the weeks go on as the tension/resistance will only change if you adjust it. Pilates exercises are also performed slowly (unless advised by the instructor). Slower movements help connect the neural pathway from the brain to the body. The injured area will respond much better to slower movements as this will help to regain stability within the joints.
Different Modifications
Pilates is one of the only forms of exercise that has many different modifications for each set exercise. This can be done through spring tension or resistance (as mentioned above) but also can be done through adding props. Pilates props include small inflatable balls, bands, rollers, small weights etc. These props help to give more feedback to the body and brain, increasing proprioception. This is key as the lack of proprioception within the injured area is most likely the reason as to why it’s injured in the first place! For example, if you’ve rolled your ankle, it’s most likely because your brain wasn’t aware of the side of the curb/the step/the uneven ground before you’ve taken the step. This means that the local stabilisers were not aware of any incoming forces and were therefore not actively engaged to stabilise. This results in a lack of support for the joints which in turn creates a risk of injury when force is applied.
Something to note
With all this being said, it’s important to note that Pilates should not be attempted if the injury is still in the acute phase. This timeframe is different for everyone and also depends on what the injury is and how severe it is. You should always check with a health professional (like a physio) before attending a group Pilates class so the instructor can have more information about your injury and can prescribe appropriate exercises for you and your injury. Physio’s will most likely have you practice some basic movements for the injured area before they clear you for Pilates. These exercises are the base movement’s for Pilates exercises so if in doubt, talk to your physio about what you should and shouldn’t do in a Pilates class.
If you haven’t considered Pilates as a form of rehabilitation before, hopefully you feel empowered with the knowledge that Pilates might be the thing you’ve been looking for!
