Pilates and Pelvic Pain
In my classes I often meet women who have been referred to me by their Midwife, Physio, Chiro or Osteo because of pelvic pain, or Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction (SPD).
During Pregnancy the hormone relaxin is released to allow your pelvis to move to accommodate the growing child, and to allow your body to actually give birth. In Pilates you work on key muscle groups that support your changing skeleton.
The positioning of your growing baby in your abdomen can cause an imbalance and create pain in the public area, the groin, pelvic girdle and hips. Certain movements can be painful, such as opening the legs, or extending the legs behind you. Everyday movements like walking, climbing the stairs or getting in and out of the car, and even resting can become harder and harder. The key though, is to work with what you can, and not to just give up. In Pilates we work on strengthening the muscles, as well as positions which ease the painful sensation for each individual. There isn’t a blanket approach, as everyone is different, so what works for one client might not work for the next client. Ideally we would pre-empt pain and make sure your body (especially your posture) is strong from the outset, especially if you have a history of back pain in general, or pelvic pain or SPD in previous pregnancies.
Pilates is a full body workout based on 34 mat based moves around eight principles:
Breathing – Most of us don’t use our lungs effectively! The breathing taught in Pilates, helps you get the best out of the exercise being performed, but also helps manage discomfort during pregnancy, labour, postnatal pains or indeed any situation where you feel anxious.
Concentration – Focussing JUST on what you are doing and how it feels is harder than it sounds! This is a great discipline to develop but is invaluable during exercise. See later, my notes on lifting children, where concentration is key to protecting your back.
Precision – Every movement has a purpose, so in Pilates you learn exactly HOW to do a movement, rather than copying a pose or exercise. Exercise should be functional (which means useful for everyday life) so in Pilates you learn precisely where you should feel the movement and WHY you are doing it.
Centre – In many other fitness classes the focus is on arms, legs, butt, losing weight, flexibility but in Pilates there is also attention to the core, i.e. the abdomen, lower back, hips, buttocks and pelvic floor – those areas which are under pressure when our bumps get bigger in pregnancy, or when we are carrying children around afterwards, resuming a sex life or struggling with bladder control.
Control – All movements in Pilates are slow and controlled, intentionally to avoid injury or aggravation, but also to produce positive results.
Fluidity – In daily life, our movements flow into one another. Pilates mimics this, so instead of robotic or jerky movements, the exercises we perform are smooth and graceful, which is why we are often compared to T’ai Chi.
Imagination – Using images to explain how a movement should be performed, or how it should feel is an effective way for any instructor to communicate what to do, and whether the client is hitting the spot, or not. Imagination also keeps your focus when your body starts to get tired.
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Intuition – This principle is about listening to our bodies and doing what feels natural. Experience has helped me to spot quickly if a client is struggling, so that I can suggest alternative ways to get the same results in class.
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