Rapid Rehab LA Pilates Based Physical Therapy Brentwood California

Strengthening the back muscles and increasing the back’s flexibility is the best way to begin a rehabilitation program for a back injury. Pilates’ unique approach to muscle strengthening is perfect for those with injuries because its lengthening moves are easy on the body yet they require the utmost in muscle integration. Once the back can be reintroduced as a balanced component of the body’s musculoskeletal system, injuries are less likely to occur and will be much less painful if they do.

Pilate’s rehabilitation exercises focus on lumbar stabilization, which is achieved through a series of movements that incorporate The Core. The Core muscles include: Transverse Abdominis, The Pelvic Floor Muscles, and the Multifidus-, which is the deep muscles of the back. Some refer to the strengthening of The Core as tightening your body’s corset. This acts as a visual guide for those who don’t understand the concept of The Core. Once the corset around the spine is tightened it creates a safety cage for the muscles to move with ease and as a result remain protected from injury.

Pilates elongates the muscles in the back and engages them proactively with every pose. In other forms of strength training such as weight-bearing exercises, or weight machines, isolation of the muscles is encouraged. This however, increases the possibility of imbalance.

The goal of Pilates it to create a whole body approach to exercise, which can correct imbalances, realign bad postural habits, and strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine. Range of motion is also increased through Pilates, which allows for further flexibility in the body. Flexibility is key in keeping the joints limber and lubricated.

Postural education is one of the more unique factors implemented in Pilates based rehab programs. Pilates based rehabilitation instructors take the time to explain why certain movements change injury potential and work with you to master them. Pilates is not only a rehabilitation program, it is a great way for those with injuries to reestablish the quality of life they knew, pre-injury.

Instead of just trying to treat an abnormality in the body, Pilates physically recreates patterns of movement. If the back injury was a product of poor posture or spinal misalignment, or improper form in activity, Pilates aims to correct that.

Re-injuring oneself is of great concern in the rehabilitation world. Active recovery is one way to avoid that.  When you are actively using and strengthening the muscles that are involved in the injury, they have less capacity to be strained. The more a muscle goes un-used or un-trained, the higher the chances that their dormancy will lead to an injury again.

Whether a patient takes a Pilates Mat class, or a machine-based class both will challenge the back muscles. Machine Pilates based rehab pushes against spring-loaded resistance for an even glide of exercise. This enables people of all ages with back injuries to begin where they can, dependent upon physical ability. Pilates based rehabilitation is not only rehabilitation; it is a way to return to a whole life.

Every athlete wants to be able to hit further, throw harder, or run faster.  Pilates has gained enormous support and popularity from the professional, as well the recreational athletic community throughout the years. From athletes in the NBA, NFL, and MLB to bicyclists, mountain climbers, tennis players, swimmers, skiers, golfers, runners, aging athletes, recovering athletes or body builders, Pilates offers optimum physical benefits, injury prevention and aids recovery.

The gentle gliding, found in most of Pilates’ poses and exercises, lengthens tight muscles and increases flexibility within the joints. It also emphasizes correct posture and stability. Proper alignment ensures better balance-control and agility. When the body begins expending the correct amount of energy, the muscles are protected from overtraining and an increase in stamina will quickly follow.

Most athletes train extremely hard to prepare and maintain their athleticism.  Heavily relying on the “no pain, no gain” theory, a typical workout may center itself on anaerobic and aerobic forms of exercise that are very high-impact.  Pilates’ holistic approach to physical exertion isn’t the usual strenuous regime in which they are used to pushing their bodies.  Some athletes are taken by surprise, because Pilates yields similar results as the “harder” forms of training but without the risk of injury.

Curt Schilling who is a Major League Baseball pitcher, currently with the Boston Red Sox, was quoted in USA Today saying,

“The first three weeks, I was really disappointed…I wasn’t sweating.  I wasn’t winded, which is what I associate with true exercise.  Then in the fourth week I started to understand the Pilates terminology, the idea of working from your center.  By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I’d lost 15 pounds.”

When Pilates is introduced to any athlete’s training regime, a flurry of counterbalancing affects take place. “Total body” conditioning makes Pilates exercise unique among its peers. Instead of focusing on one body part at a time, which attributes to muscular imbalance, Pilates works all parts of the body together. This process begins within the “core” of the body.

The core muscles include: the pelvic floor, the back, shoulder girdle, and the abdomen. When all of these parts work together simultaneously, a newfound functionality of the body is discovered and developed.

Pilates jumpstarts the circulatory system by enlisting blood flow to every muscle within the body. This increases alertness, speed, and energy. The USA Today article goes on to quote Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks superstar point guard as saying,

“After one session I was energized.  From that point on I was convinced it was a great workout… Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive.”

It was Kidd’s wife who had encouraged him to try Pilates, but he had balked at the thought of enrolling in a class thinking it was “just for women”.  However, after trying it for him self it was obvious that Pilates had just the right blend of training that he needed.  Even one of the most competitive sports figures in basketball was persuaded by the aftereffects of Pilates.

Since most sports involve repetitive movement, muscular imbalances develop which increase the risk of injury.  Injury is by far the biggest fear for most athletes since it inhibits them for progressing in their career or it can impede their commitment to personal health and fitness.  For athletes, Pilates is essential to the recovery process and is one of the most productive forms of rehabilitation.    rapidrehabla.com/rr-studio.html