PILATES & BACK PAIN

Why Pilates helps people with back pain.

Pilates exercises are commonplace at physical therapy centers, chiropractors are recommending Pilates, and "My back used to hurt all the time and now I don't feel it anymore" is a phrase we hear a lot from people who do Pilates consistently. So what is it about Pilates that works so well for back pain relief?

What makes Pilates so effective is that it addresses the underlying structural imbalances in the body that lead to back pain. Issues like lack of core support, pelvic instability, muscular imbalances, poor posture, and lack of body awareness all affect back health.

Pilates Helps Correct Posture

In Pilates, we pay a lot of attention to how our body parts are lined up in relation to each other, our alignment. When alignment is off, uneven stresses on the skeleton, especially the spine, are the result. Pilates exercises, done with attention to alignment, creates uniform muscle use and development, allowing movement to flow through the body in a natural way.

For example, one of the most common postural imbalances that people have is the tendency to either tuck or tilt the pelvis. Both positions create weaknesses on one side of the body and overly tight areas on the other. They deny the spine the support of its natural curves and create a domino effect of aches and pains all the way up the spine and into the neck.

Doing Pilates increases the awareness of the proper placement of the spine and pelvis, and creates the inner strength to support the natural curves of the spine. This is referred to as a neutral spine and has been the key to better backs for many people who do pilates.

Pilates Tips for Tight Hamstrings and Back Pain

Roll-downs are a valuable key in maintaining a healthy back, so don't let their simplicity fool you.

A roll-down is a "gem" of a move to stretch your hamstrings and help ease an aching back. It only takes a few minutes of your time, and can be done anywhere.

Roll-downs stimulate abdominal support in the front of the body, while the rolling wheeling motion opens up tightness held in the hamstrings and back of the body.

The Key - keep your abdominal muscles scooped throughout the movement.

Scooping your navel to spine provides a strong front-body support for your torso while it is moving, enabling your backmuscles to relax and stretch out as you roll and breathe.

Tips:

1. Keep your hips over your feet, it's easy to lean your weight forward or back into your heels, especially at the bottom of the roll. Be careful not to roll feet in or out.

2. When you're hanging like a rag doll over your legs: allow your inhalation to massage your back for you. Full deep breaths taken-in behind a hollowed abdominal wall, sends your breath towards the back of the body, expanding your lungs into your tight back muscles. Your expanding lungs become your own masseuse.

3. The further you roll-down, you will stretch the hamstrings in the back of your legs. Be careful to not overstretch, only go as low as you can while keeping your knees straight.

You may be surprised to find how different your back feels each day, which usually reflects how relaxed or busy you've been the day before. If you've been busy, get rolling - your back will thank you.

PILATES & BREAST CANCER

Women recovering from breast cancer face many challenges, not only in getting their strength and energy back, but in many cases, strengthening their self-confidence.

Fatigue, limited range of motion, and even fear of moving sore areas may make a woman shy away from exercise. Pilates can be a useful tool in rehabilitation for breast cancer survivors. With the help of a trained instructor, it can help a woman reclaim her physical confidence and reestablish a connection with her body.

Pilates can help alleviate pain from breast cancer operative procedures, restore joint mobility, tissue integrity, and help regain lost strength. Practicing some of the very basic biomechanical principles of Pilates (which focus on restoring joint mobility with gentle range of motion exercises) can help break down residual scar tissue from surgery and various treatments. The emphasis on the breath in Pilates is also a great way to reconnect with the body and focus on progress.

Pilates can be an excellent way to achieve the postural re-education and muscle-balancing necessary to recover from the side effects of breast cancer treatment. Most importantly, Pilates can be a gateway for a true "Return to Life" for many women, as the title of Joseph Pilates' popular book states. Joseph Pilates said, "Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value." Pilates is not about quantity (how many sit-ups) but about the quality of the exercises you perform. When practiced correctly, Pilates allows one to reconnect with a body that has been traumatized.

Let's talk anatomy and exercise As mentioned, the shoulders, chest and back will be the main areas of focus after surgery. The external rotation muscles in the shoulders, which include the subscapularis, infraspinatus, teres minor, supraspinatus, and the deltoid, are the key muscles to rehabilitate after surgery.

Along with strengthening these shoulder muscles, the chest muscles, pectoralis major and pectoralis minor will also need strengthening and stretching in order to keep the chest muscles from tightening which cause the shoulders to round.

Tight chest muscles and rounded shoulders are an unwanted combo leading to bad posture. Strengthening the upper back muscles will also help with preventing poor posture as well as support overall upper body weakness.

Early breast cancer detection is key to surviving breast cancer, as well as a healthy eating lifestyle and regular exercise. To learn more about breast cancer go to www.breastcancer.org.

Facts about Breast Cancer in the United States

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Its a perfect time to have your mammogram

When breast cancer is detected in the early stages, treatments are less invasive, and survival rates are greater. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a good time for scheduling an annual mammogram, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

CDC statistics show breast cancer as the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States, and the most common cancer among women. About 12 percent of women in the United States will develop an invasive form of breast cancer during their lifetimes. Mammograms are the most common and effective way to detect abnormalities in the breast that could lead to cancer.

Women who are nervous about getting their first mammogram should not fear this simple procedure. A mammogram is merely an X-ray exam of the breast. During the screening, the breast is compressed or squeezed between an adjustable plastic plate (on top) and a fixed X-ray plate (on the bottom). The bottom plate holds the digital "camera" that makes the image of your breast. The pressure on the breast lasts only a few seconds. Using digital technology to examine mammography images and flag abnormalities in the breast.

Diagnosis at an earlier stage gives you more treatment options and a better prognosis. By the time you feel a lump during a self-exam, you might already be in a later stage. Ideally, you want to find the cancer before a woman can feel it.

A mammogram screening falls under preventive care and is covered by most insurance plans. The American Cancer Society's screening recommendations for mammograms include:

Yearly mammograms for all women beginning at age 40 and continuing as long as they are in good health.
A clinical breast exam should be performed every three years for women in their 20s and 30s, and annually for women 40 and older.
Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to their health care provider immediately.
Starting in their 20s, women should perform regular breast self-exams.
Women who have a family history or a genetic proclivity toward breast cancer should be screened with an MRI in addition to mammograms. Only about 2 percent of women in the United States fall into this category.

Women should talk with their OB/GYN about any special considerations for regular screenings, and whether individual circumstances warrant additional tests at an earlier age.

Meet Gayle Unzicker - pendleton Pilates and Spinning® Instructor

On August 6, 2011, Toni Lichvar (another Pendleton instructor) and I did the Ohio Women's Triathlon for the Cure at East Fork Lake. Toni had convinced me to do the event despite how much I hated running. Ten days later, I had a mammogram (the first step in the process that determined I had breast cancer).

In mid-September, I had surgery to remove tumors in my right breast. Shortly after chemotherapy began. About 10 days later my hair fell out in handfuls. I could picture myself standing over someone on a reformer and a big handful of hair falling on them. Ugh! It became so bothersome, I shaved my head and started wearing a wig my Mom helped me purchase. I bought two more wigs in different styles and colors. No one knew whether their Friday morning instructor would be a blonde, a redhead or a brunette!

Chemo continued for 4-1/2 months. I was still teaching Pilates and Spinning throughout the whole ordeal. I missed a few classes, but had wonderful teacher friends who covered me or agreed to be on "stand-by" if I was unable to teach. Not only had Pilates and Spinning made me strong, it was now keeping me sane.

Shortly after chemo, I started radiation therapy. The sessions lasted 45 - 60 minutes, five days a week for four weeks. It wasn't painful and I didn't have any complications. (I think this is true for most people receiving radiation to the right chest and underarm area.) The most difficult part was adjusting my schedule for so many appointments!

So, for the last year my life has been radically different. It wasn't fun, and I was consumed with appointments, treatments, tests and all sorts of medical processes I would have rather not had to do. However, now I'm on the other side of the worst of it. And, in all sincerity, there are some things that I like to reflect on. For instance, the encouragement, prayers and support from all of the people in the Pendleton family. From clients to instructors, people have been so very thoughtful. I have felt overwhelmingly blessed.

And lastly, I would like to say that Pilates and Spinning were game changers for me and my walk on the cancer path. Had I not started as a healthy individual, the last year would have been a very different experience. I encourage everyone to work effectively on building and maintaining your health so that when you are faced with life's toughest challenges...you'll be ready!

PILATES & HAMSTRINGS

Tight Hamstrings Can Be a Source of Lower Back Pain, Which is Very Common in people who exercise and stretch, as well as those who do not.

The hamstrings are massive muscles (at the back of your thighs) responsible for bending the knee and assisting the gluteal muscles to extend the hip. They are in constant use, so when they are tight, they limit the range of motion in the pelvis which can increase stress across the low back and corrupt correct posture. Stretching the hamstrings can gradually lengthen them and reduce the stress felt in the lower back.

One way to gently stretch hamstring muscles is to lie on the back and grasp the leg behind the knee with the hip flexed to 90 degrees and the knee bent. Attempt to straighten the knee with the toes pointed back toward you.

Make a stretching regime a regular part of your day and in no time at all you'll be walking freely, running faster and be pain free with a big grin on your face.

Here are a couple of Pilates exercises you can do to increase the flexibility and strength of your hamstrings. The good news: they work other parts of your body too!

Single Leg Circles

Purpose: This exercise will stretch the hamstring, mobilize the hip joints, teach pelvic stabilization and strengthen the hip flexors.

What you do: to prepare, extend one leg out toward the tip of your mat, leg straight and foot flexed. Bend the opposite leg toward your chest and wrap both hands around the back of that knee.

Start with knee bends: Stretch the lifted leg toward the ceiling and flex your foot, feeling the stretch in your hamstring. Bend and stretch the knee 3 times to prepare for the leg circle. Doing the knee bend before the leg circle (on each side) will release the hamstring so you could get a bigger range of motion throughout the exercise.

Now onto the leg circles:

1. Extend the raised leg toward the ceiling and point your toes to begin. Flex the foot of the bottom leg. Go only as far as you can to keep your pelvis from rocking side to side.

2. Circle the leg across the body and down toward the opposite leg. Make sure that the hip of the leg on the mat is rooted into the mat and not lifting off while you are doing the leg circle.

3. Finish the circle, and get back to the starting position with your extended leg pointed toward the ceiling. Repeat the circle 8 times.

4. Switch directions by circling the same pointed leg away from the body and back to the starting position. Repeat reverse circle 8 times.

5. Bring the raised leg down to the mat, flex the foot, and repeat with the other leg.

Breath pattern: Inhale to start the circle, exhale to finish the circle.

Pelvic Curl

Purpose: This exercise will strengthen the hamstrings. The hamstrings (together with the abdominals) lift the pelvis off the floor without moving the legs, and work hard to keep the body in a bridge position. It’s the abdominal-hamstring force that help move the pelvis and articulate the spine while keeping the legs still.

What you do: to prepare, lie on your mat with knees bent and feet flat on the mat, hip-distance apart. Place arms by your side with palms down.

1. Draw the abdominals in, and slowly curl the pelvis up, and lift the lower back, then the middle back, then the upper back sequentially off the mat.

2. Stay lifted, with your glutes engaged, abdominals pulled in to form a straight line on the top side of the body. Hold here for a few seconds.

3. Lower the torso, one vertebra at a time starting with the upper back to return to the starting position.

4. Breath pattern: Inhale to prepare, exhale to lift off the mat into the bridge, inhale to reach a bit higher into the straight line, exhale while slowly lower down one vertebrae at a time.

PILATES & HEART DISEASE

"I'm a survivor," Star Jones said on the TODAY show. "And heart health is something I now take very seriously."

Now that I Survived Heart Disease, 'I Decided to Step it Up'

For Star Jones, super-sized burgers and a sedentary lifestyle are gone for good. Now, you'll see leafy greens and fish on her plate and catch the TODAY contributor working out every day.

Jones, whose weight once topped 300 pounds, underwent gastric bypass nearly 10 years ago and has stayed slim. But in 2010 at age 47, she faced another health crisis: After suffering intense heart palpitations, she was shocked to learn she had heart disease and needed open-heart surgery to repair her aortic valve.

Watch the video
Read the article Today.com

PILATES & NECK PAIN

Pilates Helps Relieve Neck Pain
Chronic sufferers had less pain, greater function after 6-week program*

People with a history of neck pain found significant relief after a six-week Pilates program, according to a small study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.

Perhaps most significantly, the participants reported less pain six weeks after their last official Pilates session, suggesting that the exercise program had induced subtle changes in movement patterns that had long-lasting benefits.

Twelve women and one man participated in the study. They had moderate but recurrent neck pain, which had been with them for at least six weeks, or for at least one week per month for four months.

For the study, they did one 1-hour Pilates class a week for six weeks, and were advised to do three 20-minute sessions each week on their own. The Pilates class featured 10-15 beginner-level mat exercises, plus a warm-up and cooldown.

After the six-week Pilates program, the participants had less disability and greater function in their neck than at the beginning of the study. At that time, they rated their pain the same, despite the improvements in function. Once the classes were over, the participants were encouraged to stick with their three-times-a-week home program.

"With continued practice subjects may have progressed to the automatic stage of learning a motor skill where movements become more subconscious," the researchers wrote.

*Study published in Runner's World - June 20, 2013

PILATES & NUTRITION

Can You Eat Your Way to 100?
The best advice is still - eat food, but not too much.

While there isn't any magic to living to 100, there are certainly things you can do to improve your odds.

When it comes to food, eating in moderation, along with the following science-backed strategies may help:

1. Eat five fruits and veggies a day, preferably more to slash your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

2. Work in low-fat yogurt daily. It's packed with probiotics, a major focus of current research for its immune-boosting potential.

3. Have fish 2-3 times a week. Make at least one an oily fish like salmon for the omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to reduce disease-causing inflammation.

4. Snack on nuts like pistachios and walnuts to fight heart disease. Stick to a handful a day.

5. Get fiber - at least 25 grams a day - by eating fruits, veggies, and whole grains. A high-fiber diet can lower your risk of dying from any cause, say researchers from the National Cancer Institute.

Stay on Course
Don't Let the Holidays Derail Your Fitness Goals

It happens every year - those darn holiday calories - oh, how they can creep up and before you know it, you've gained weight. Then comes the New Year's resolution to loose the weight. This year, try making a End of Year resolution to not let it happen to you again by not only watching what you consume but sticking to your Pilates fitness goals as well.

Pilates can help to build and maintain lean muscle mass while you are losing/watching your weight because you become much more aware of your body, and in turn, treat it better by making better food choices.

Here are the top five ways to become trim and toned through Pilates:

Burn More Calories

Creating muscle mass is one of the best ways to increase calorie-burning potential. Pilates can help accomplish that in spades. Simply stated, Pilates is strength training because it works with resistance to increase strength and hence, muscle mass. This can create a metabolic increase and build lean muscle mass.

A variety of tools can be added to a basic Pilates mat routine to help tone muscles all over and avoid boredom. Adding bands, rings and light weights provides variety and challenges your muscles in different ways. Resistance bands and the ring are easily portable, yet create a considerable amount of challenging resistance to help firm and tone, so you can take your Pilates routine anywhere you go this holiday season.

Look Thinner

One of the best ways to look and feel thinner is to maintain good posture. Pilates helps create better posture by firming not only the abs, but the back, as well. Since all Pilates work is performed with proper alignment and attention to posture; it helps to establish optimal spinal alignment, facilitate better circulation, improved lymphatic flow, and increased stamina of the muscles along the spine. Not only will toned spinal muscles help with continued weight loss vis-à-vis increased metabolism, standing up straight will automatically make a person appear thinner, thereby increasing your confidence, as well. The end result: you will stand taller, hold your waist tighter and feel stronger.

Build Core Muscles

Pilates is all about strengthening the core (front and side abdominals) and the entire back. Toned abs and a strong back help prevent injury, improve posture, reduce lower back pain and even promote proper bowel function. But the most popular result is flat abdominals.

Pilates teaches you how to use your abdominals correctly - how to contract the abdominal wall, rather than just letting it distend. This simple act can be used 24/7 in your everyday life. It's the single reason that Pilates flattens abs so quickly.

Improve Eating Habits

Increased body awareness also makes you less likely to indulge in unhealthy eating habits. Seeing the improvements to your body and of what it's capable of is incredibly motivating. You will not only have a new respect for your body but, you will be more likely to take better care of it.

Complete with Cardio

No weight loss regimen is complete without cardiovascular work. Combining the strength training of Pilates and a consistent cardio session works to help you lose weight and tone up twice as fast as just doing either routine on its own. Try walking up hills, or to add variety and challenge, consider trying Pilates Jump Board, Spinning, swimming, or running.

The Bottom Line - the holidays are one of the most important times of the year to not let your fitness goals slide. By staying focused, you will not need a New Year's resolution to loose weight in 2013 because being healthy has become a way of life instead of a short term fix.

PILATES AT ANY AGE

The Wisdom of 101- year-old Ruth Kobin
Adapted from Health Magazine - January/ February 2013

The Wisdom - Get Off Your Butt!

Can't picture your granny doing Pilates? Well, 101-year-old Ruth Kobin has a one-hour lesson every Thursday. "I've always exercised every day," says the New York City resident. (In case you cannot read the caption on her photo above, Ruth states "I walk a mile after lunch every day.")
"Being active is like tuning up a care engine," explains Linda Fried, MD, interim co-director of the International Longevity Center and dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. "It keeps systems running better, so even if theres' a decline with age, it's less sever." Laura Vogel, 100 of Riverside, New York agrees: "Exercise makes me feel sharper."

Use It Now! Make exercise part of your daily routine. "Just walk 30 minutes a day and a few times a week add on something else," wether it's a Zumba class or lifting weights, says Luigi Ferruci, MD, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging.

Already doing more? Keep up the good work.

PILATES & THE PSOAS MUSCLE

PSO-WHAT?
There may be no muscle more core than the psoas muscle

If you find yourself shuffling more than usual, feeling a twitch or hiccup in your stride, you might have a psoas injury. If you're experiencing pain running uphill, walking up stairs, or doing any other activity that requires knee lift, you might have a psoas injury. If you have hip, groin, or glute pain, you might have a psoas injury. If your lower back is aching ... well, you get the idea.

Where Is it?

The psoas major is a large muscle that attaches at the bottom of the thoracic spine (T12) and along the lumbar spine (through L4), then runs through the pelvic bowl, down over the front of the hip joint, and attaches at the top of the femur (thigh bone). It is the only muscle connecting the spine to the leg.

How It Moves Us

In Pilates, the core is our powerhouse, providing us stability, and enabling us to move our body more efficiently. When we think about the muscles in our core, there may be no muscle more core than the psoas muscle (pronounced so-as). The psoas is not like many of the surface muscles we are familiar with. We can't see it, and most of us can't flex or release it at will, as we might a quad or bicep. It is a deep muscle, involved in complex moves through the core and lower part of the body.

The psoas is traditionally considered a hip flexor. Hip flexors are muscles that bring the trunk and leg closer together. Also a posture stabilizing muscle, the psoas assists in straightening the lumbar (lower) spine. Finally, in actions where one side contracts and not the other, the psoas aids side-bending.

Since the psoas is a muscle of flexion, exercises that incorporate those kinds of moves are said to strengthen it. When the leg is in a fixed position, the psoas helps flex the torso. A Pilates roll-up would be an example of such a move. When the torso is fixed, the psoas helps bring the thigh to the torso. Every time you lift your knee, the psoas contracts. When your leg swings back, the psoas lengthens. For a runner averaging 180 strides per minute, the left and right psoas each contract and lengthen more than 5,000 times during the course of an hour run. That's a lot of strain on a band of muscle that's only about as thick as your lower forearm.

The psoas also promotes good posture. Along with a coordinated team of core muscles--abs, obliques, lower back--the psoas helps stabilize your midsection and pelvis. If the muscle is compromised, either by injury or tightness, it inhibits movement bringing pain.

The psoas is tricky. It is like the chicken and egg thing--Is the psoas tight because of another problem, or is some other problem causing the psoas to tighten?" All issues of tightness, poor posture, weakness, and muscular imbalance should be addressed for successful resolution of a psoas injury. Whether a strained psoas leads to low back pain or an achy back triggers an injury to the psoas, the symptoms should be treated in tandem.

Pilates Tips for Strengthening the SI Joint and Psoas Muscles.

Pilates is a fantastic way to learn how to deal with SI Joint pain as it works to correct muscle imbalances that we have inflicted on our body through years of abuse. Twisting incorrectly, poor posture, trauma, injuries, etc. can all wreak havoc on our bodies over time.

Pilates exercises for SI Joint and psoas pain should include both the stretching of the muscles in the lower back and strengthening the muscles that support the pelvic floor, deep, and lower abdominal. In other words, we need to help them learn stabilization, as these muscles are our "powerhouse", providing stability for the SI Joint and the whole lumbar-pelvic girdle.

The first focus for SI Joint pain - a neutral spine

Work to stabilize your pelvis (hips), including the sacrum in proper alignment. It is important not to do these exercises in poor pelvic alignment, as you will be trying to stabilize the faulty posture which may have caused the problem in the first place! Try practicing some of the exercises below (which can be done anywhere) to help improve your posture:

1. Sitting: When sitting in a chair press your bottom right up against the back of the chair then stack the rest of your spine up over it. Feel your ears over shoulders, over your hip bones and your breastbone should be right over the pubic bone. Navel drawn in gently. Feel space between your ribs and pelvis (lumbar spine). Proper posture is the best way to reduce tension from sitting at work all day, on computers, driving, etc.

2. Lying down: A pelvic tilt or spine articulation is a great way to stretch, lengthen, and strengthen your core. Lying on a mat with your knees bent and feet hip width apart. Begin by taking an inhale and then exhale and roll off your tailbone, imprint your back, and roll all the way up to the base of your shoulder blades. Take another inhale and exhale and slowly, lay your spine back down on the mat, one vertebra at a time.

3. Standing: With your back up against a wall stand with your buttocks and shoulder blades leaning into the wall. Notice whether your lower back is against the wall or if there is an excessive arch there. The latter is more common. To achieve neutral keep the buttocks and shoulders against the wall and then draw (or imprint) the lower back into the wall. You should feel the abdominal muscles engage and/or the ribs drawing in. Release and repeat to flex your lumbar spine.

Always consult your doctor to assess sacroiliac joint pain and choose appropriate exercises for you.

PILATES & THE SI JOINT

Oh My Aching Back
It could it be caused by the SI Joint

The sacroiliac joints (SI) link your pelvis and lower spine. They're made up of the sacrum - the bony structure above your tailbone and below your lower vertebrae - and the top part (ilium) of your pelvis. There are sacroiliac joints in both the right and left sides of your lower back. Strong ligaments hold these joints in place. The sacroiliac joints support the weight of your upper body when you stand.

While it is not clear how the pain is caused, it is thought that an alteration in the normal joint motion may be the culprit that causes sacroiliac pain. This source of pain can be caused by either:

1. Too much movement - hypermobility or instability. The pain is typically felt in the lower back and/or hip and may radiate into the groin area.

2. Too little movement - hypomobility or fixation. The pain is typically felt on one side of the low back or buttocks, and can radiate down the leg. The pain usually remains above the knee, but at times pain can extend to the ankle or foot. The pain is similar to sciatica, or pain that radiates down the sciatic nerve and is caused by a radiculopathy.

This condition is generally more common in young and middle age women.