3 reasons why reformer pilates by Physio is the best for low back pain

I have some very exciting news for you! We’re going to start Reformer Pilates very soon!! Now that I’m a certified reformer pilates instructor, I can guarantee you that your core muscles will thank you for it. And if you’re lost let me explain that pilates is THE best core strengthening exercise for your core muscles. This is espcecially true if you’re recovering from low back pain or have weak core muscles due to pregnancy or even chronic pain. You’ll feel like you have a 6 pack once you try these amazing reformers at our clinic. But as everything you’ve got to be cautious about where you do these exercises. Because as you may know recovering from a bad back is not easy. You’ve got to make sure you see AHPRA registered health professionals who are certified pilates instructors as well. As they have the skills to diagnose your problem and tailor the exercise program for you. So let’s talk about how reformer pilates can help you:

Have you heard of women proudly claiming that they worked out so hard in the gym that they peed their pants? Well, it’s not a good thing actually. Because it means that they have urinary incontinence or weakness of the pelvic floor muscles. This can happen because of a lot of reasons like pregnancy or injury but also repetetiive stress on the pelvic floor like doing high intensity exercises. These exercises are very stressful on the pelvic floor. Unfortunately the instructors in the gym have 15 people to look after in their classes. So they’re not able to individualise the exercise program for everyone. Also they have no idea what to avoid if anyone has an injury! In fact people have ended up with low back pain because of these classes sometimes. But as Physios we’re skilled to know exactly what to avoid.

As compared to HIIT or high intensity training where you’re jumping on boxes, climbing on trees or I don’t know jumping off buildings…Reformer Pilates is completely low impact. High intensity activities put a lot of strain on your joints. There’s a high risk of injury. Whereas pilates focuses on muscle strengthening without impact on joints. So this is a great form of exercise for women after pregnancy. And because it’s still a full body workout, you’ll still lose weight if you’re looking to without killing yourself in the gym.

Although reformer pilates is a full body exercise, because it focuses on strengthening the core, you don’t need to do 20 repetitions to feel the benefit. You can do 5 good quality movements and that would be enough to have an impact. So really you don’t use as much energy once your muscles get stronger to do exercises. People find that they’re able to do a lot more through the day as they get stronger. Because a strong core means that your body becomes more energy efficient at conserving energy. The end result is that you feel better overall and feel more energetic through the day.