Pilates For Injury Rehabilitation & Prevention

Pilates is well-known for being a low-impact exercise that works the entire body, making it an ideal workout for those who are just starting their fitness journey. 

Another reason you should incorporate Pilates into your routine is that it’s great for injury rehabilitation and prevention. Athletes across the board are turning to Pilates for both of these reasons.

That said, injuries aren’t something unique to athletes. Everyone gets injured, with the risk of injury increasing if you exercise too fast or too long. Incorporating a few Pilates movements or using a Pilates machine during your recovery period allows you to stay relatively active. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the main reasons why Pilates is good for preventing and recovering from injuries. We’ll touch on how Pilates:

• Improves overall stability 
• Addresses issues with posture
• Fixes muscular imbalances

Improving stability

Improved stability means improved balance. As such, working on your stability is essential for injury rehabilitation and prevention. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare lists falls as one of the most common causes of hospitalisation, so it’s crucial to start improving your balance sooner rather than later. 

One of the most challenging aspects of Pilates is its focus on small and controlled movements, even if you’re working with Pilates equipment like a moving Pilates reformer.

Focusing on a smaller range of movement can strengthen your mind-body connection. This is especially true when you’re on a Pilates reformer, as it makes you zero in on the muscles you’re working with. 

As you become more experienced, you’ll find you can control your muscles and keep them engaged throughout all the pulses and holds. 

Addressing bad posture

Poor posture increases the risk of back problems later on in life; furthermore, poor posture can lead to severe injuries in the gym. 

Pilates focuses on your core, which consists of your abdominals, hips, lower back and pelvic muscles. Working on these muscle groups on a Pilates machine protects your spine and counteracts the compression when you slouch. 

The Department of Health and Aged Care emphasises the importance of limiting our time spent sitting down, as this can be detrimental to our overall health. 

If you have been injured, poor posture can lead to unnecessary strain that will make you feel worse. Since your rehabilitation regimen will likely focus on a few key movements, maintaining proper posture while exercising can help speed up your recovery. 

Additionally, focusing on keeping your spine straight while doing reformer exercises, like lunges and leg circles, trains your muscles to automatically turn on whenever you do these exercises in the future. 

Over time, you’ll find that you’re more aware of keeping your posture straight even as you go about your day-to-day activities. 

Fixing muscular imbalances

How often have you forgotten the number of repetitions you’ve done when alternating sides during a workout? Muscle imbalance can be difficult to avoid, even if you’ve exercised for a while.

While it’s normal to have one side that is naturally stronger than the other, you should focus on making this imbalance as small as possible. 

If you’re in a Pilates studio and working with a commercial Pilates reformer, you’ll find that the instructor will constantly give cues and remind you to switch sides across different exercises.

Pilates moves target one muscle group at a time, making this exercise useful for those wanting to balance out a specific area. 

Preventing injuries with Pilates equipment from Pilates World

Having Pilates equipment at home makes it easy to recover from injuries and keep them at bay afterwards.

In this article, we mentioned the importance of stability and posture, which are focus areas Pilates can help address. For instance, working with ladder barrels and spine correctors trains your back muscles effectively while still being low-impact. 

Pilates World was founded to promote the benefits of functional movement. In line with this, we provide a range of Pilates health equipment that includes options for those wanting a Pilates reformer machine for home use.