Back Pain - Body in Common https://clinical.bodyincommon.com The Best Australian Physio and Rehab Pilates in KL Tue, 19 Jul 2022 08:21:59 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/wp-content/uploads/cropped-Kangaroo768pxBlack-32x32.png Back Pain - Body in Common https://clinical.bodyincommon.com 32 32 Clinical Pilates for Scoliosis Management https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/scoliosis-management-clinical-pilates/ Thu, 09 Apr 2020 08:13:41 +0000 https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/?p=464 Scoliosis Management is a lifelong task. It is possible to live a drug-free, pain-free life through Clinical Pilates for Scoliosis.

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Build Your Body Confidence and Minimize Your Scoliosis with Clinical Pilates

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Clinical Pilates for Scoliosis

"Body in Common works with Back Pain sufferers every day. The key is to properly diagnose the underlying causes, and then fix them through targeted exercises. Scoliosis Management can be effective!"

Clinical Pilates for Scoliosis

Scoliosis can be a difficult condition to live your life with.  A small sideways curvature in your spine can completely redefine your muscle balance, by causing tightness on one side, and stress on the other.  This can lead to quicker fatigue in sports, quicker joint-wear as you go about your daily life, and annoyances like neck pain and back pain, caused by the imbalance.

 

Unfortunately, as your spine is the most important part of your body, the effects of scoliosis extend all the way from your head to your toes.  There is plenty of good news though:

 

  • If caught early enough, the curvature can be significantly reduced (especially amongst children).
  • But even among adults, a good Scoliosis Management programme can significantly improve your quality of life, reduce those aches and pains, and get you back out there doing what you love to do.

One of the key management programmes for Scoliosis Management is Clinical Pilates by certified Physiotherapists.

 

But before we dive into how Clinical Pilates can help, let’s go over what Scoliosis actually is.

Contents

What is Scoliosis? How bad is bad?

Scoliosis is basically any curvature of the spine that differs from the standard curvature.  Individuals with scoliosis have a slight curvature in their spine that can look like a ‘C’ or an ‘S’.  

 

Your spine is not made of just a single bone, but consists of several bones called vertebrae, that are stacked on top of each other.  Your spine is naturally curved inwards in the lower section (Lumbar) and outwards in the upper section (Thoracic). This elastic alignment gives you the flexibility to stretch, bend and balance.  It also absorbs shock when you jump, or when accidents happen.

 

With Scoliosis sufferers, the spine may curve from side to side, or may also curve too far backwards or forwards.  Sometimes, scoliosis may even cause the spine to rotate like a corkscrew. 

 

Usually, small curves don’t cause much trouble, but large curves can affect joint and muscle in your body. These curves can severely damage the joints and may progress to arthritis of the spine. Very large curves can also cause lung problems, by reducing the volume of the ribcage.

 

According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, About 2.5% of the population has some form of Scoliosis (1).

 

Scoliosis often appears in children just during the growth spurt before puberty. Most of the cases do not need any treatment as the spine may correct itself with growth. However, depending on the child’s age and the degree of curvature, bracing and physical therapy is often recommended.

 

Living with scoliosis can be difficult as it is already a complicated and challenging stage of life. Teens face several emotional and physical challenges and diagnosis of scoliosis may additionally burden the child’s emotional well-being. Therefore it is necessary to build a strong and supportive peer group for individuals with scoliosis.

Types of scoliosis

The scoliosis association of the United Kingdom states seven different types of scoliosis (2).

1 - Congenital scoliosis

This is the type of scoliosis that people are born with. It happens when the spine does not fully form correctly during pregnancy.

2 - Early-onset scoliosis

In this type of scoliosis, the curve usually appears between birth and age 10, or before puberty. Many times, smaller curves may correct itself without treatment.

3 - Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

‘Idiopathic’ means there is not a known cause. This type of scoliosis changes the spine during a child’s growth, mostly between the ages of 10 and 18. 

 

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis can cause side curves along with a twist in the spine, both at the same time. This can cause a hump on one side of the ribs.

4 - Adult degenerative scoliosis

Adult degenerative scoliosis can be divided into two types; degenerative scoliosis and de novo scoliosis. 

 

Degenerative scoliosis happens to those individuals who already have a history of scoliosis. Due to wear and tear with age, the spine starts to collapse, which causes the curve to increase further. 

 

De novo scoliosis appears directly in adulthood. Again, wear and tear with age can cause the spine to curve. Typically, adult degenerative scoliosis is diagnosed after the age of 50.

5 - Neuromuscular scoliosis

Neurological or muscular conditions can generate curvature of the spine. Conditions such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida can damage the muscle-nerve pathways in the spinal cord and can lead to a curvature in the spine.

6 - Scheuermann's kyphosis

This specific condition causes the front section of the vertebrae to grow more slowly compared to the back section during childhood. Such deficiency causes the spine to grow in a forward angle resulting in a forward curve of the backbone.

7 - Syndromic scoliosis

This is where another syndrome causes Scoliosis as one of many symptoms.

Do I Have Scoliosis?

Although most scoliosis cases are mild, serious cases may provoke complications such as altered appearance, back pain and heart and lung conditions.

 

Sounds scary, right? 

 

The good news is, if you can’t tell if you have Scoliosis or not, chances are that it is minor or not at all.  Moderate-to-severe cases clearly show imbalances in the body: usually with one shoulder at a different height to the other.

 

Some individuals have one shoulder blade sticking out more than the other or one shoulder higher than the other one. If the spine is twisted and a person bends over, one side of the ribcage may stick out more than the other side.

 

The majority of Scoliosis sufferers have very mild cases, so it may not be too obvious. Mild curves are usually painless or only provide minor annoyances such as the occasional headache or backache.  Therefore they can go unnoticed without the parent or child knowing about the condition. Occasionally, friends, teachers and teammates are first to notice the curves in a child’s backbone.

 

The surefire way of finding out is to get an X-ray from your Doctor.  By looking at the bones directly, the exact degree of your curve can be calculated.

How Can Clinical Pilates Help Your Scoliosis?

For very young sufferers, specialist use of bracing, and other techniques can actually redirect Spinal growth to minimize the Scoliosis.  Once you’re an adult, you’ve stopped growing and your spine is essentially set. As an adult surgical interventions remain a controversial topic, with few upsides (3-5).  Effective, Drug-free, surgery-free Scoliosis Management is the key.

 

At this stage, it’s all about removing any causes of pain, and maximizing muscle balance to make sure you’re getting the most out of life.  This teenage and adult phase is where Clinical Pilates truly shines.(6,7)  Clinical Pilates can rebalance your muscle structure by lengthening some muscle groups, strengthening other groups, and building targeted strength around your spine and joints.  With a personalized programme, you can take the stress of your vertebrae and joints; as well as improve functional mobility. All of this means less headaches, less back pain, and a good life, free from surgery and drugs.

1 - Clinical pilates strengthens the core and improves your posture

Clinical pilates incorporates movements that activate your core muscles (8). Activating and strengthening your back and core muscles will help you get more control of your body.

2 - It Increases Functional Movement and Makes You Flexible in a Functional Way.

Scoliosis can be accompanied by stiffness and pain in the body. Clinical pilates increases your upper and lower body functional movements (9,10) and improves the flexibility of your spine, further helping you reduce the discomfort. By releasing some tension in the back muscles, it also helps in reducing the pain (11-13).  Unlike other forms of stretching such as yoga classes, Clinical Pilates is highly targeted and run by experienced Physiotherapists. This means that the flexibility you gain is the useful kind: the kind that actually improves your quality of life.

3 - Optimizes Your Spine, Getting the Best Scenario from Your Curve.

As an adult, your vertebrae are already fully formed to your curve.  It’s no longer easily possible to change your spine’s curve, but by targeting your posture muscles, you can take gravity’s stress off the spine, freeing it up to be slightly straighter and more free.  Combined with better muscle balance and back muscles, you will look straighter, and will feel more mobile and comfortable.

4 - Clinical Pilates Helps You Look and Feel Better

While there are plenty of reasons to work on your Scoliosis, we all have to admit that looking great and feeling great are one of our major concerns.  It can be socially difficult if your scoliosis is visible to others, or if you can’t keep up in sports or on a walk.

 

With a focus on rotational movements and spine alignment, Clinical Pilates reduces vertebral rotation (11,14) and strengthens the trunk muscles.  One of the main goals is to produce the best version of your Scoliosis that science can offer, with a better symmetry, and better muscle balance. As an added bonus, Clinical Pilates has been shown to enhance brain activity and prevent cognitive decline and dementia (15-17).  

3 Exercises for Scoliosis Management

If you’re taking the issue seriously, you first need to see a doctor and get an accurate diagnosis.  This means knowing the number of your curve in degrees, and what type of curve it is. Until you know exactly what the issue is, you can’t get targeted results.

 

In the meantime, there are many safe exercises focusing on muscle balance and symmetry that you can do at home.  

 

If you experience any pain, do contact a qualified Clinical Pilates practitioner.

Exercise 1 - Mermaids

Clients performing the Clinical Pilates exercise called Mermaids. This exercise is great for loosening up spinal segments and improving mobility.

Mermaids are pilates exercises that stretch and lengthen your side body. They are great for scoliosis as it emphasizes on the sides of your body that may have gotten stacked and restrained.

 

Mermaid has a dynamic flow to its movement and can be used as a gentle warm-up exercise or can be performed intensely once you’re fully warmed up.

 

Exercise:

 

Sit on the floor with both your legs folded to the right side. 

 

Keep your back foot flat on the floor, while your left hand firmly placed in front of you. This will provide some support to make you sit upright.

 

Extend your right arm straight above your head with bringing the inside of your arm as close to your ears.

 

Keeping your right hip grounded, initiate the stretch by extending your arms and spine towards the left. To additionally stretch your sides, let your support hand move further away from your body.

 

Now using your abs, bring back the torso up and reach to the other side. As you touch your right shin, you further lengthen your torso.

 

Repeat this moment at a dynamic pace for 2-3 times, then switch sides.

 

Why:

 

Mermaids help you stretch the thighs, obliques and shoulders. It opens your torso and lengthens the muscles between your pelvis and ribs.

Exercise 2 - Shoulder Bridge

Shoulder Bridge Starting Position. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides.
Step 2, slowly lift the back off the ground to start the shoulder bridge. This is great for your hamstrings.

Shoulder Bridge is our favourite exercise for increasing the stability of your spine. Scoliosis causes an imbalance in the movement of your muscles and the vertebrae.

 

Shoulder bridge not only strengthens your spine but also reinstates proper functional movements, which helps you reduce the pain.

 

Exercise:

 

Lie down in a neutral position. With your knees bent, start tilting your pelvis. This will help you close the gap between the mat and your lumbar spine.

 

Now, lift your back, vertebrae by vertebrae until a diagonal line is created, all the way from your knees to the shoulder. Make sure the knees are parallel and are not wandering or shaky.

 

Hold this position for 5 seconds and then lower your spine vertebrae by vertebrae, slowly on to the mat again. Repeat this exercise for 10 to 15 repetitions.

 

Why:

 

Shoulder Bridge is an excellent exercise to individually work on your spine and increase its mobility. Moreover, by contracting your trunk muscles and lifting the pelvic floor, you also activate the core as well.

3 - Seated pelvic tilts

Seated pelvic tilts are an exceptional exercise form for improving strength in your lower back muscles. This subtle spinal movement feels great because scoliosis patients feel as if the exercise is giving their back a massage.

 

Exercise:

 

To get started, first decide your surface of choice. You could use a flat surface or an exercise ball to challenge and engage your core.

 

Make sure you are sitting at a height where your hips are slightly higher than your knees.

 

Inhale as you take a seat with your feet shoulder-width apart, making sure you are engaging your core and staying balanced.

 

Exhale and tuck the tailbone under you while moving slightly forward. Inhale as you push your tailbone back to the starting position. Do 5 to 10 reps.

 

Why:

 

Seated pelvic tilts are a very safe exercise movement for people with scoliosis. They are great preliminary exercises for reducing your lower back pains. They strengthen your abdominal muscles, lower back and sacroiliac joints.

A Serious Condition that can be Managed

Scoliosis can be a major problem in your life, but through proper Scoliosis Management techniques, you can live to your fullest.  Clinical Pilates is a great tool to do this.


Before beginning with Clinical Pilates, we perform a thorough full body assessment for evaluating your areas of weakness. From here, Clinical Pilates exercises are gradually introduced, emphasizing technique and an understanding of areas that are being targeted. Moreover, we specialize in programs for scoliosis in children.


Don’t let scoliosis be your puppeteer. Book an appointment today and regain control of your life.

“Body in Common is an Australian-Style Physiotherapy Studio in Bangsar, Malaysia. We provide Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates services in our studio, as well as online Telehealth services. Feel free to get in touch and look after yourself.”

Serious about your Scoliosis? Contact us to take the next step.

Want us to contact you about 1-on-1 Scoliosis Pilates?  Fill out the form, and we’ll get in touch!

See Our Clinical Pilates Process

Backed by Evidence. References.

  1. National Scoliosis Foundation (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.scoliosis.org/patient-support/resources/
  2. Types of scoliosis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sauk.org.uk/types-of-scoliosis/types-of-scoliosis
  3. National Institutes of Health. Knee replacement . National Institutes of Health Website. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kneereplacement.html . Accessed December 20, 2015 
  4. Stephen R , Burnett J. http://www.bcmj.org/sites/default/files/BCMJ_52Vol9_hip_arthroplasty.pdf . Accessed December 20, 2015 . 
  5. Tormenti MJ , Maserati MB , Bonfi eld CM , Okonkwo DO , Kanter Complications and radiographic correction in adult scoliosis following combined transpsoas extreme lateral interbody fusion and posterior pedicle screw instrumentation . Neurosurg Focus. 2010 ; 28 ( 3 ): E7 . doi:10.3171/2010.1.FOCUS09263.
  6. Smith JS , Shaffrey CI , Glassman SD , et al. Clinical and radiographic parameters that distinguish between the best and worst outcomes of scoliosis surgery for adults . Eur Spine J. 2013 ; 22 ( 2 ):402-410 . doi:10.1007/s00586-012-2547-x. 
  7. Dagenais S , Ogunseitan O , Haldeman S , Wooley JR , Newcomb RL . Side effects and adverse events related to intraligamentous injection of sclerosing solutions (prolotherapy) for back and neck pain: a survey of practitioners . Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 ; 87 : 909-913.
  8. Cruz-Díaz, D., Bergamin, M., Gobbo, S., Martínez-Amat, A., & Hita-Contreras, F. (2017). Comparative effects of 12 weeks of equipment based and mat Pilates in patients with Chronic Low Back Pain on pain, function and transversus abdominis activation. A randomized controlled trial. Complementary therapies in medicine, 33, 72-77.
  9. Keays KS , Harris SR , Lucyshyn JM , MacIntyre DL . Effects of Pilates exercises on shoulder range of motion, pain, mood, and upper extremity function in women living with breast cancer: a pilot study . Phys Ther. 2008 ; 88 : 494-510 . 
  10. Levine B , Kaplanek B , Jaffe WL . Pilates training for use in rehabilitation after total hip and knee arthroplasty: a preliminary report . Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2009 ; 467 ( 6 ): 1468-1475 . doi:10.1007/s11999-009-0779-9.
  11. de Araújo, M. E. A., da Silva, E. B., Mello, D. B., Cader, S. A., Salgado, A. S. I., & Dantas, E. H. M. (2012). The effectiveness of the Pilates method: reducing the degree of non-structural scoliosis, and improving flexibility and pain in female college students. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 16(2), 191-198.
  12. Blum, C. L. (2002). Chiropractic and pilates therapy for the treatment of adult scoliosis. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 25(4), E1-E8.
  13. Wells C , Kolt GS , Marshall P , Hill B , Bialocerkowski A . The effectiveness of Pilates exercise in people with chronic low back pain: a systematic review . PLoS One. 2014 ; 9 ( 7 ):e100402. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0100402.
  14. Gür, G., Ayhan, C., & Yakut, Y. (2017). The effectiveness of core stabilization exercise in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A randomized controlled trial. Prosthetics and orthotics international, 41(3), 303-310.
  15. Bian Z , Sun H , Lu C , Yao L , Chen S , Li X . Effect of Pilates training on alpha rhythm . Comput Math Methods Med. 2013 . doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/295986 .
  16. Bherer L , Erickson K , Liu-Ambrose T . A review of the effects of physical activity and exercise on cognitive and brain functions in older adults . J Aging Res. 2013: 657508. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/657508 . 
  17. Balsamo S , Willardson JM , de Santana FS , et al. Effectiveness of exercise on cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease . Int J Gen Med. 2013 ; 6 : 387-391 . doi:10.2147/IJGM.S35315.

 

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]]> Common Causes of Back Pain https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/backpain/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 06:40:42 +0000 https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/?p=406 Suffering from Back Pain happens to everybody at some point in their life. Did you know that you can fix it without drugs and dangerous surgery?

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Common Causes of
Back Pain

Is Back Pain making it harder to get a good nights’ sleep?

Or maybe spending quality time with family is getting difficult?

Is Back Pain making it harder to get a good nights’ sleep?

Or maybe spending quality time with family is getting difficult?

Most people will experience back pain at some point in their life.  What do you do when it comes calling?

See a Chiro?

Go for Massage?

Traditional Medicine?

… or just some painkillers?

Doctors are quick to tell their patients that there’s nothing to be done about back pain. 

“Just take some pain killers, drink plenty of water, and live with it…” 

That advice just isn’t good enough! 

There are a multitude of short-term fixes for back pain.  Unfortunately that’s all they are: short-term fixes.  If you want life-long relief, you need to look further than the symptoms and find the underlying source of the pain.

This is where Australian-Certified APPI Clinical Pilates comes in.  Drawing from a long scientific background, It is a methodology that keeps you mobile and happy long into your life.

Clinical Pilates is a set of exercises that focus on posture, balance, core stability, strength, and flexibility.  It is suitable for Men and Women, and Pilates students range for 5 years old to 105 years old!

So what are some of the most common causes of back pain?  How do we really treat it?

#1 Desk Jobs.
Sitting causing Lower Back Pain.

It should come as no surprise that the human body did not evolve to be very good at sitting in front a computer.  Our DNA is built to run, jump, crawl, swim, and so much more.  Unfortunately, when we sit at a desk all day, we start to weaken our underlying muscles structures.

 

  • Our transversus abdominus (a deep hidden abdominal group – not your six pack!)

  • Multifidus (spine supporters)

  • Gluteals (we’ve all heard of the big “Gluteus Maximus”, but there are also the medius and minimus)

 

When these muscles weaken, our spine starts to pull out of alignment.  This is exacerbated when our big primary muscles start to overcompensate.  What you end up with is focus sore spots – usually along the spine at either the lower or the upper portion.

 

When we fix these underlying weaknesses, (as well as train better sitting posture), the underlying cause can be removed.

#2 - Weight Gain Putting Stress on your Back

Heavily linked to #1 above, a lack of physical activity or an excess amount of weight can start the slow slope towards weakening your supporting muscles.

 

If you want to truly fix back pain for the long term, a few sessions a week of light exercise is a great way to get back on track. 

 

If one or two of these sessions is Clinical Pilates exercises, then you’ll be back on track even sooner.  If the cause is just general lack of physical activity, then after a few sessions, you might be well suited to try Group Fitness Pilates Instead.

#3 - Old Injuries Causing Compensating Back Pain.

If you’ve sustained injuries in the past, it’s quite possible that you never truly recovered.  We’re not just talking about back injuries here: a knee injury, or even hand injury could equally start the body favoring one side, and start the slow spiral to muscle imbalance and weakness.

 

My Husband was a classic case of #3, having received several back injuries over his life:  Everything looked normal to the untrained eye, but up-close he had a slight limp that caused spinal movement to come out of alignment, and he always favored a side for lifting heavy objects.  The result: back pain every morning from lying in bed, and a reliance on daily paracetamol.

 

These cases are much more tricky to assess, as the signs are often much more subtle than someone who is obviously weakened or has poor posture.  A properly trained physiotherapist has a number of tests that allow for assessment, and from there, it is a process of re-balancing muscle groups and removing tension on overactive muscles.

 

In time, most back pain clients in this category can receive significant relief and reduce their need for painkillers.

#4 - Poor Flexibility Leading to Lumbar Spine Pain.

Are you having trouble tying your shoes?  Is picking up something from the floor a task to be dreaded?  How about sitting on the floor with your legs straight?

 

A common cause of back pain can actually be found in the muscles just below – the Gluteals and Hamstrings (aka the ‘bum muscles’).  If these muscles are particularly tight, your body can search for the extra flex somewhere else – in your lower back.  As a result, instead of your Hamstrings and Gluteals elongating to allow for proper movement, your lower spine curves and goes under significant stress.

 

In time, this compensation becomes dependence, and the hamstrings no longer have the ability to do their original job without the lower back stepping in.  This is particularly common among people who lift heavy weights and avoid flexibility classes.  We call these people ‘Vikings’, and they are represented in our logo by the Gorilla.

 

Relief can often be found through a mix of:

  • Micro-fascial releases (deep tissue massage that focuses on breaking down the muscle’s outer sack to improve flexibility and mobility).

  • Dynamic Pilates Stretching

  • Strengthening of the supporting muscles (the small ones that gym weights do not address).

#5 - Post Natal Injury or Weakening of the Core.

Another very common cause of back pain (but only for women) is from post-natal stress of injury.  Delivering a baby does significant damage to a woman’s body, including the separating of their abdominal muscles, groin and leg strains, and 9 months of muscle-relaxing hormones.

 

The result is that your back may often weaken significantly after delivering a baby, and does not always fully recover on its own (this is especially true for women who have diastasis – abdominal separation).  Special care needs to be taken in these cases, as the wrong workout can exacerbate the problems.

 

Clinical Pilates has a special set of exercises for dealing with these particular issues, and target the ‘deep muscles’ that sit below the large primary movers (such as the ‘six pack’).  Most patients find Clinical Pilates to be particularly successful in the long term.

#6 - All of the Above!

You are unique, and your circumstances are most likely a combination of the above, and maybe the myriad of other possibilities that we don’t have the space to write about.

 

As Australian-trained Physiotherapists and Clinical Pilates Specialists, we are your trusted professional for assessing, planning, and achieving your personal goals.  Please: don’t just read about it, come in and see us in Bangsar.

 

Natalie Tan – Body in Common

Bachelor of Physiotherapy – University of Melbourne

APPI-Certified Pilates Instructor – Matwork

APPI-Certified Pilates Instructor – Machine

Dry-Needling Training

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]]> Back Stretches https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/backstretches/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 06:21:17 +0000 https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/?p=399 You don't have to live with lower or upper back pain. By doing a mix of strengthening and lengthening, you can improve your quality of life.

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Three Easy Exercises and Back Stretches to Help Your Back Pain at Home

When it comes to back pain, nothing beats going straight to the cause by seeing an accredited professional physiotherapist.  But if you need some relief before that happens, here are three easy back stretches that you can try at home:

A Body in Common Physiotherapist uses biofeedback to show the client how their movements affect their posture.

#1 - Arm Openers

Why:

  • To mobilize the spine segments, helping your spine to more evenly distribute your body’s weight.

  • To stabilise the shoulder joints.

  • To stretch the chest.

  • This Back Stretch will warm up your low spine, and allow the spinal fluids to better lubricate your vertebrae.

How:

  1. Lie on your side with your head supported on a pillow.  Put both arms in front of your body.

  2. Bend your hips to about a 90 degree angle.

  3. Bend your knees to about a 90 degree angle.

  4. While exhaling, reach your upper arm  up to the ceiling and let your eyes follow your hand.

  5. Continue to rotate further, but don’t let your hips leave their original positions.

  6. While inhaling, unwind back to the original position.

  • For best effect, do this in a slow and controlled manner.  Remember, don’t let the hips and legs move!

Arm Openers Step 1. Lie on your side with your knees bent and both arms out straight.
Arm Openers Step 2. Open up your top arm and reach it to the ceiling.
Arm Openers Step 3. Continue to extend your top arm to the back wall to open up your chest.

#2 - Shoulder Bridges

 

 

  • To train the nerves and muscles how to support the back.

  • To mobilize the spine segments, helping your spine to more evenly distribute your body’s weight.

  • To train the Gluteal muscles (The “butt muscles”) to activate safely with spinal activation.

  • To build strength along the spine.

 

How:

 

  1. Lie down on your back, and place a small ball between your knees if you can.

  2. While exhaling, gently roll just your tail bone upwards towards the ceiling – keep the rest of your back on the ground.

  3. Continue to “peel off the mat”, bone by bone until you are just resting on your shoulders.  Don’t rush this – the rolling slowly is what teaches each spinal segment to move.  If you don’t roll, the stiffer segments won’t have time to move.

  4. Inhale at the top, and then unwind in the reverse order.

  • For best effect, do this in a slow and controlled manner.  Remember: this isn’t just a ‘plank exercise’, but also a spine mobility exercise.

Shoulder Bridge Starting Position. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms by your sides.
Step 2, slowly lift the back off the ground to start the shoulder bridge. This is great for your hamstrings.

#3 - Glute Stretches

Why:

  • To mobilize reduce tightness in the gluteal muscles, that might be putting stress on the lower spine.

  • This may look like a leg stretch, but is also a key back stretch.  Your upper leg muscles are interconnected with your lower spine segments, and often put stress on your back, causing pain.

How:

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet comfortably on the floor.

  2. Lift one leg and rest your ankle comfortably on the other knee.

  3. At this point, make sure that your back and tailbone haven’t rotated away from their original position.  If they have, you will not stretch the glutes, and will instead put the stretch onto your spine.

  4. Gently pull your thigh towards your chest.  Focus on keeping the stretch in your glutes.  Hold for 10 seconds.

  • For best effect, do this in a slow and controlled manner.  Remember, don’t let the lower back and tailbone leave the floor.

  • If the stretch starts to give pins and needles, either reduce the stretch or stop.

Glute Stretch. Lie on your back with one knee bent. Bring the other leg over the knee to stretch our your glutes.

Come and See a Professional

Nothing beats professional assessment and personalized plans.  While three stretches will give some relief, our professional programmes have hundreds of different personalized options, combined with manual therapy and other forms of treatment.

 

This scientifically-backed method is the best way to take control of your pain.

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]]> How Clinical Pilates Helps Back Pain https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/pilates-for-back-pain/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 05:52:47 +0000 https://clinical.bodyincommon.com/?p=361 Most Back Pain sufferers don't seek help. Physiotherapists use Clinical Pilates to solve the underlying causes of Back Pain. We can help!

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Improve Your Back Pain and Movement without Drugs or Surgery

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How can Clinical Pilates Help Lower Back Pain?

"Body in Common works with Back Pain sufferers every day. The key is to properly diagnose the underlying causes, and then fix them through targeted exercises."
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Lower Back Pain Affects Everybody

Are you suffering from lower back pain? Life can be extremely difficult when even the smallest movements cause pain and slow you down.  Reaching for the keys on the coffee table; trying to sleep; carrying the groceries: everything is harder, and your quality of life suffers.

 

That’s no way to live your life, and luckily Lower Back Pain is usually one of the easiest ailments to fix without the use of drugs or dangerous surgery. 

 

Lower back pain can trouble people of all ages.  It’s not just a condition for old people! The “National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke” states that around 80% of the adult population experience lower back pain at some stage of life. [4]  The truth is, with our increasing hours spent in front computers, our bodies are seated for longer and longer each day, and over time this causes a number of subtle changes in the body:

 

  1. Your Hip Flexors begin to shorten.  These small, and crucial muscles are connected directly from your upper inner thighs to your lower spine.  As they shorten, they start to pull your lower spine out of alignment, causing constant pain.
  2. Your Glutes and Hamstrings (the big muscles at the back of the leg) also shorten, causing additional compression in your lower spine.

 

Needless to say, these two conditions, and many other small changes can have big effects in the body!  But the good news is, that these causes are mostly muscular-skeletal, and that means with appropriately prescribed exercises, stretches, and muscle releases, you can reverse the effects and get back to living your life at 100%.

 

Clinical Pilates is, without a doubt, one of the most effective methods for solving lower back pain. [1,2,3]   Drawing from Australian Physiotherapy, and combining it with the low-impact Pilates system of exercises, we’re able to precisely target what your specific body needs, and treat the underlying causes of the issue.

Contents

But First, How Does Lower Back Pain affect your Quality of Life, and Why is it so Important to Act Now?

“Much like a shiny sports car, your body is the most complex machine you will ever own. If you do the maintenance, you will be the envy of your neighbours. If you don’t, prepare for embarrassing breakdowns!”

The lower back area comprises of the five vertebrae, with L5 being the one lowest down, and L1 being just above the small of your back.  This area is called the lumbar region, and plays an important role in supporting much of the upper body weight. It acts as a shock absorber, protecting your organs, and it also acts as structure for your muscles to pull against.

 

 

Every week Physios have new patients with back pain. Although the number of new patients is high, the vast majority of cases are chronic, and haven’t been caused by a specific incident. [5]  Most people simply wake up one day and realise that they’ve had back pain for years, and can’t remember every being without it!

 

It’s important to get on top of the issue as soon as possible, as the body will start to compensate in subtle ways, and these compensations exacerbate the issues in the longer term:

 

  1. You will slowly do less activity, and this can harm your social life.
  2. It will be more difficult to focus at work.
  3. Your posture will get worse, leading to stress in the neck.
  4. As the lower back progresses, other areas of the body will commonly work harder to compensate.  This leads to eventually having other ailments such as Knee Pain, Shoulder Pain, or constant headaches.
  5. In some cases, lower back pain can progress into slipped discs or spondylitis (arthritis).
So before it becomes a real issue, take control of your body!

So How Does Clinical Pilates Solve Your Issues?

While many services out there only treat the symptoms, Clinical Pilates helps in reducing lower back pain by targeting the underlying causes of the pain.  The interesting thing about this is that the causes are usually above or below the lower back – not the lower back itself.

 

Specifically, we fully assess the body, find out which muscles groups have shortened, which have weakened, and which have become too strong.

 

Muscles that are too strong can be just as dangerous as muscles that are too weak, and this is one of the common pitfalls people encounter when they hit the gym in search of pain-relief.

 

While each body is different, nearly all lower-back-pain clients need to work on lengthening their Hip Flexors, Glutes, and Hamstrings.  Most clients also need to strengthen their Transverse Abdominus (known as the ‘core’) to improve spinal support. Clinical Pilates is great because each exercise is specific and targeted, allowing us to work only what is needed, while leaving other muscles alone.  The end result: by strengthening, lengthening, or weakening these specific muscles, you tend to put less strain on your lower back and can get back to the life you deserve without drugs or surgery.

1 - Clinical Pilates Selectively Improves your Muscle Strength

Clinical pilates uses low-impact resistance training to strengthen muscles and alleviate lower back pain. [9,10] We use specialized instruments called ‘Reformers’, ‘Trapeze Tables’, ‘Ladder Barrels’, and ‘Combo Chairs’ to train your muscles.  

 

One of the major issues with many types of strength training is that they target every muscles at once – whether you want to to or not!  This causes problems, because you may be strengthening the right muscle, but you’re also over-strengthening other muscles that are already contributing to your back pain.  If you do this, you won’t find improvement. A lot of our clients come to us after having tried weights programmes, only to find that their lower back pain has gotten worse – not better!

 

For Lower Back Pain, we specifically target core strength and lower-back posture muscles to alleviate stress on the lower spine, while avoiding over-strengthening the Glutes and Hamstrings – common causes of the pain.

2 - At the Same Time, Clinical Pilates Improves Mobility, Flexibility, and Functional Movements.

While some muscles need to get stronger to support the lower back, any muscles that are aggravating the issues needs to do the opposite: they need to become longer, more flexible, and more functional.  In particular, most people suffer from shortened Hip Flexors, and Tight Glutes. These tight muscles cause compression through the lower spine, and can also pull it out of its optimal alignment. 

 

Yoga-like stretching is not the answer.  If you weaken muscles without providing strength, the body becomes unstable and you are at a higher risk of injury.  The answer lies in working on functional flexibility, and improving safe range of motion.

 

Clinical pilates improves your functional movement by reducing muscle stiffness and tightness. [11,12] It also works on abdominal [13] and hip muscles. This improves your flexibility [14] and body coordination and helps you avoid pain from long periods of inactivity.

3 - It Enhances your stability

Clinical pilates gives you an added benefit of improved stability. [14] Hips, shoulders and core are essential in supporting your lower back. When you work on them in clinical pilates, you start strengthening these muscle groups. This takes off the strain from muscles and helps you get along with your daily routine.

 

As you age (and eventually we all do!), this added functional strength and stability will reduce your risk of falls – vastly improving your quality of life.

4 - Lastly, Being Fit and Pain-Free Improves your Mental Health and Happiness.

Prolonged lower back pain can make you nervous and depressed. We regularly receive new clients who have increased anxiety and depression as a result of their lower quality of life.  After doing the Clinical Pilates programme, it is common to see a significant improvement in happiness levels, because you’re able to get out there and do the things you want to do.[15,16]

Best 4 Pilates Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Obviously, nothing beats the silver bullet of seeing a highly qualified professional, getting a personalised assessment, and a targeted programme to suit your exact body.  But we also understand that you want to do something today. The good news is that there are some home exercises you can do to get started.

 

While getting started with pilates, it is necessary to first master the basic level before moving on to the more challenging progression of the exercises.

Exercise 1 - Pelvic Tilts

At first glance, it is easy to think that this exercise is doing nothing at all.  But that extremely subtle feeling is exactly why it’s so successful: it’s only targeting the muscles you want to target, and nothing else.

 

In particular, with this exercise, we want to target your core: the Transverse Abdominus.  This is a muscle that sits underneath your six pack and is responsible for providing stability, safety, and strength for you entire lower back system.

 

Exercise:

Lie on your back with your hands by your gently on your hips.  Bend your knees with your feet on the ground so that your legs make about a 90 degree angle.

 

First, tilt your pelvis (your hips) down and away from your ribs until you create a small arch in your lower back.  The key here is to keep your upper back firmly glued to the floor – don’t let your upper back join in on the arching, or you will compress the lower spine.

 

Now rock the pelvis back in the opposite direction slowly until your lower back is fully flat on the floor.

 

Continue to do this exercise 10-20 times, and try to feel your core as you move.  You want to be able to touch your belly and feel a light tension deep under your six-pack: that’s your core.  Don’t let your six pack take over – it does not help much in supporting the lower back, and its aggressive movements are often the cause for lower back aggravation.

 

Why:

 

Do this three times a week to build up core strength to help support your back and create a stable platform to work off.

Exercise 2 - Supine Spinal Twist

This exercise has a more stretch-oriented approach coupled with core activation, as you rotate your thoracic spine.

 

Exercise: Lie on your back and hold a rolled-up towel between your bent knees. Place your hands directly out to the sides.  At first, your feet can be gently on the ground in a similar position to the pelvic tilts above. 

 

While keeping knee pressure on the towel, slowly let your knees roll over to one side without letting your shoulders leave the floor.  This will cause your Thoracic Spine (upper back), and Lumbar Spine (lower back) to rotate and improve overall mobility. It will also help to stretch out the glutes if they are too tight.  Roll slowly between each side, but make sure to keep the exercise gentle to maintain safety and a focus on functional mobility: any jerky motions or pushing too hard will aggravate your lower back.

 

Progression: Instead of having your feet on the ground, raise your legs into a tabletop position.

 

Why:

 

Do this two to three times a week to improve spinal range of movement, reduce tightness in your lower-back-to-upper-leg connections, and reduce the aggravating compression on your lower spine.

Exercise 3 - Roll Down

A Roll Down pilates exercise is ideal for warming up or cooling down your body. We Physiotherapists have a fun phrase for spinal movements:  “Motion is Lotion”.  In essence, you have to keep movement each spinal segment in order to properly lubricate them and keep them healthy.  If they stiffen up, they also get less fluid movement, causing extra stiffness and pain.

 

The Roll Down exercise challenges your body posture and increases your awareness of body movements.

 

Exercise:

 

Keep both your arms in front of you with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep a good posture.

 

Beginning at the very top, slowly look down, flexing through the upper-most spinal segments.  Once these segments are flexed, continue by rolling further down through your upper back. Segment-by-spinal-segment, continue to flex through the back gently until your entire upper back is now rolled over. 

 

If you feel tightness or stiffness at your hamstrings, slowly bend your knees to relieve that tension and continue to flex through your lower spine.  It doesn’t matter whether you can reach the floor or not. The purpose of the exercise is to mobilize each spinal segment and try to achieve more equal stiffness/looseness across the entire system.

 

Once you’re full rolled over, take in a deep breath, and slowly reverse the movement.  Start by extending your lower back – only one vertebrae at a time. Then the upper back, and finally the neck.  The key is to stay gentle, and never force anything.

 

Why:

 

It’s quite common for some segments of your spine to get stiffer than others.  To compensate, other segments become looser so that you can retain the same overall range of movement.  The looser segments then become over-used, more heavily worn, and more painful. Regaining spinal balance is key in living a long, pain-free life.

Exercise 4 - Foam Rolling

While we’re strengthening important supporting muscles, it’s also equally important to improve flexibility in muscles that are aggravating your lower back pain.  In particular, your Glutes are a common source of stress. As they shorten, they pull more on your lower back system, aggravating the area.

Every muscle in the body is actually surrounded by a type of ‘sock’ that holds it all together.  This sock is called the fascia, and you can see it clearly at the Butcher when you look at lamb shanks and other thigh meat. 

The issue with the fascia is that over time it tends to tighten up and ‘stick’ to the muscles it encapsulates.  This causes excessive tension and shortening of the muscles. Foam rolling is the act of rolling a muscle over a foam rolling pin – much like kneading dough.  This is the solution to improving length and function.

Exercise:

Ideally you will have a 90cm x 15cm foam roller.  Smaller ones are ok, but can’t be used for other exercises.  Start by sitting one of your glutes (‘bum muscles’) on the roller and putting your weight on that leg.  Slowly roll back and forth over the entire length of the muscle – from the lower back, down to just above the knee.

For most people this will be painful – only do 30 seconds to 1 minute, three times a week.  Take it slowly, and keep safe.

Why:

To relieve the tension on the lower spine caused by tight upper leg muscles.

What's next?

Clinical pilates is an excellent rehabilitation tool for lower back pain. As you gradually progress with clinical pilates, the strain on your spine will be relieved.

 

Of course, every body is different, and just like you probably don’t do your own car repairs, it’s best to leave serious body issues to the professionals (that us!).  Body in Common is an Australian Physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates centre in Kuala Lumpur, and we offer the highest quality assessments, and build personalised programmes for every client. 

 

Please take your body maintenance seriously, and live pain-free, drug-free, and surgery-free, by fixing the underlying causes of your pain with Clinical Pilates.

Improve Your Back Pain and Movement without Drugs or Surgery

Want us to contact you about 1-on-1 Clinical Pilates for Back Pain?  Fill out the form, and we’ll get in touch!

See Our Home Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Backed by Evidence. References.

  1. Miranda, I. F., Souza, C., Schneider, A. T., Chagas, L. C., & Loss, J. F. (2018). Comparison of low back mobility and stability exercises from Pilates in non-specific low back pain: A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 31, 360-368.
  2. Lin, H. T., Hung, W. C., Hung, J. L., Wu, P. S., Liaw, L. J., & Chang, J. H. (2016). Effects of pilates on patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: a systematic review. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(10), 2961-2969.
  3. La Touche, R., Escalante, K., & Linares, M. T. (2008). Treating non-specific chronic low back pain through the Pilates Method. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 12(4), 364-370.
  4. “Back Pain Fact Sheet”, NINDS, Publication date December 2014.
  5. NHG Standard Non-specific lower back pain (Second revision) Bons SCS, Borg MAJP, Van den Donk M, Koes BW, Kuijpers T, Ostelo RWJG, Schaafstra A, Spinnewijn WEM, Verburg-Oorthuizen AFE, Verweij HA.
  6. Kamioka, H., Tsutani, K., Katsumata, Y., Yoshizaki, T., Okuizumi, H., Okada, S., … & Mutoh, Y. (2016). Effectiveness of Pilates exercise: A quality evaluation and summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 25, 1-19.
  7. Stieglitz, D. D., Vinson, D. R., & Hampton, M. D. C. (2016). Equipment-based Pilates reduces work-related chronic low back pain and disability: A pilot study. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 20(1), 74-82.
  8. Kresal, F., Roblek, V., Jerman, A., & Meško, M. (2015). Lower back pain and absenteeism among professional public transport drivers. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 21(2), 166-172.
  9. Vieira, N. D., Testa, D., Ruas, P. C., de Fátima Salvini, T., Catai, A. M., & Melo, R. C. (2017). The effects of 12 weeks Pilates-inspired exercise training on functional performance in older women: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 21(2), 251-258.
  10. de Oliveira, L. C., de Oliveira, R. G., & de Almeida Pires-Oliveira, D. A. (2015). Effects of Pilates on muscle strength, postural balance and quality of life of older adults: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Journal of physical therapy science, 27(3), 871-876.
  11. Laws, A., Williams, S., & Wilson, C. (2017). The Effect of Clinical Pilates on Functional Movement in Recreational Runners. International journal of sports medicine, 38(10), 776-780.
  12. González-Gálvez, N., Marcos-Pardo, P. J., & Carrasco-Poyatos, M. (2019). Functional improvements after a pilates program in adolescents with a history of back pain: A randomised controlled trial. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 35, 1-7.
  13. Cruz-Díaz, D., Bergamin, M., Gobbo, S., Martínez-Amat, A., & Hita-Contreras, F. (2017). Comparative effects of 12 weeks of equipment based and mat Pilates in patients with Chronic Low Back Pain on pain, function and transversus abdominis activation. A randomized controlled trial. Complementary therapies in medicine, 33, 72-77.
  14. Phrompaet, S., Paungmali, A., Pirunsan, U., & Sitilertpisan, P. (2011). Effects of pilates training on lumbo-pelvic stability and flexibility. Asian Journal of sports medicine, 2(1), 16.
  15. Fleming, K. M., & Herring, M. P. (2018). The effects of pilates on mental health outcomes: A meta-analysis of controlled trials. Complementary therapies in medicine, 37, 80-95.
  16. Küçük, F., Kara, B., Poyraz, E. Ç., & İdiman, E. (2016). Improvements in cognition, quality of life, and physical performance with clinical Pilates in multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of physical therapy science, 28(3), 761-768.
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