Why Pilates Is Unsurpassed for Rehab!
While this may be true, there is a real trend that we’re seeing among athletes who are now embracing Pilates as a very crucial injury prevention and rehabilitation exercise regime. Some of the big-name athletes that are adopting Pilates as part of their workout and rehab routines include names such as Tiger Woods, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James. In fact, Lebron James adopted a victory gesture known as “Thrown Up The Rock”, which was named after one of his Pilates reformer exercises. This is no joke. Some of the greatest athletes in competitive sports, the ones you idolize and worship as heroes, partake in a lot of the same exercises your middle-aged mother does when she’s trying to lose five pounds before her Mexico vacation….
So this trend that we’re seeing among athletes and Pilates can be attributed to the fact that Pilates is a great tool to assist, or accelerate a physiotherapy program when coming back from an injury. Also, by engaging in Pilates core exercises regularly, athletes will create better movement patterns and decrease the chance of re-aggravating old injuries, as well as developing new ones. Not only that, but Pilates is used among athletes to help achieve optimal performance and get the most out of their bodies.So with that in mind, if you’re an athlete, whether you’re just a leisure athlete, a competitive beer league hockey player, a semi-pro player, or a professional athlete, here are 6 reasons why you should consider Pilates as an option for injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, as well as a tool to optimize your performance:
Reformer machines use springs: The use of springs on the Pilates reformer machines allows you to move through movements fluidly, going through the full range of motion with greater ease and control. Also, the springs make you feel resistance at the muscle’s strongest point of contraction and less resistance on the initiation and completion of movements, which relieves stress on tendons, ligaments, and joints. Then when you’re starting to progress and your injury is getting stronger, you can advance to mat Pilates, which doesn’t use springs to stabilize and support your movements, putting even more focus on your core stabilizers.
Concentration to specific body parts: Pilates requires very intentional and informed movements — you have to be very conscious how you’re moving your body at all times. Pilates gives you the ability to isolate and target appropriate muscle groups that need strengthening. So when you’re dealing with an injury, you can focus on the small surrounding muscles of your injury, helping to support and strengthen the injured area, allowing you to come back faster and stronger.
Conscious breathing: Just the same as Yoga, conscious breathing is a huge part of Pilates. You have to continuously be aware of your breathing, to make sure you aren’t holding in your breath, or restricting your breathing in any way. Traditional therapy routines tend to undermine the importance of correct breathing, which, when done correctly helps the diaphragm to stabilize the trunk. Also, correct and conscious breathing will help you to breathe into your injured areas, helping to slowly relieve pressure points and provide better circulation to injured areas.