What to do when Pilates doesn’t work

Often when I talk to potential new participants for my Pilates classes, I often hear the line “My GP / Osteopath / Physical Therapist recommended that I take Pilates to help improve my back pain.” These days, it’s great that Pilates has a good reputation for improving participants’ low back pain symptoms (as well as many other benefits).

But what happens when Pilates doesn’t get the results we expect?

What happens when Pilates does not help our back pain, and even in some cases makes it worse?

Another line that I hear many times, even more so in my therapy sessions is “I’ve done Pilates a few times before, but it didn’t help.” I also used to hear this quite often when I was working in a health club.

So why isn’t Pilates giving some of us the results we want?

These are just a few possible reasons:

Is the bar too high?

If we have heard many success stories from friends and family about the success that Pilates has had for them or if our health care has recommended Pilates to us, we can hope that Pilates will correct and resolve all of our aches and pains for which we have passed. However, it doesn’t work like that. Remember that we will all be different and while we may have symptoms similar to others, the underlying causes can be completely different. It is also worth noting that Pilates is not a form of corrective therapy. It is an exercise system rather than an exercise class, and many people have found that by completing Pilates classes, their symptoms have improved as a result of learning the correct Pilates method. Another reason worth remembering is that people react differently to everything. For example, after working in Pilates and Therapy for a few years, I have found that some people react very well to deep tissue massage, but others react better to a MET (muscle energy technique), for example. My advice would be to figure out what the underlying problem might be and also figure out what works best for you and decide on a course of action from there.

What’s going on inside

Say, for example, someone attends a Pilates class in hopes of improving their low back pain symptoms. As a Bodymaster method© doctor, my initial thought is what is causing the low back pain? In the past, I have seen rotations in the pelvis, rotations in the sacrum, a difference in the length of the legs as possible causes of the symptoms of back pain. Sometimes, it has even been higher up the body that has caused the low back pain (thoracic mobility and even shoulder alignment). In a one-on-one therapy session, you would have the opportunity to do a comprehensive evaluation to identify any potential underlying problems. However, in a small group class setting we do not have this luxury. Now sometimes Pilates can successfully help reduce the symptoms of low back pain and give the participant the opportunity to control their symptoms. However, if you find that your back pain (or other symptoms) continues despite starting Pilates, it may be a good idea to do more research to see what potential problems could result in back pain symptoms and then create a program to try to correct the underlying problems. If these underlying problems have been corrected, your Pilates class may become much more beneficial.

Pilates method

With the wide variety and variety of Pilates on offer these days, we are now seeing a huge difference in what is taught in classes. In my opinion, the most important element of a good Pilates class is the method rather than choice of exercises. Let me take a moment to explain. For me, what makes Pilates more beneficial is the actual Pilates method rather than the exercises themselves. Don’t get me wrong, choosing the most correct and appropriate exercise is an integral part of the success of any class, however if they are not performed using the Pilates method then I find that success is very limited. What do I mean by method? Well, I mean the principles of Pilates. These principles vary from training school to training school, class to class, or book to book. While these principles vary, I consider the following principles to be the most important:

• Alignment

• Breathing

• Connections (also known as centering)

• Concentration

• Relaxation

• Precision

While I consider these 6 to be the most important, there are others that shouldn’t be overlooked either. I always knew that these principles were important to the success of a Pilates class, however, it wasn’t until I became a practitioner of the bodymaster © method that I really understood. why these principles and the Pilates method were key. I won’t go into the full details of how these principles are beneficial, but you can read my other articles for this information, in particular the article ‘Core Stability: Why There’s So Much More Than Planks And Sit-Ups’.

If I’m honest, the Pilates method / principles is the hardest part to get right, but in my opinion it’s the most beneficial when completed with the exercises. I’m sure we could all read a book or watch the latest videos online for a variety of different Pilates exercises, however without following the method, success will be very limited in my opinion. I also believe that there is no such thing as “Pilates exercise”, since it is the method, rather than the movement, that gives a Pilates class its name.

How big is your class?

One of the fundamental principles listed above and what I consider very important “precision”. Why? Well, for any exercise to be effective (and principles for that matter) it must be done correctly, using the correct target muscles, and also making sure that the muscles that are not meant to be used remain disconnected. If an exercise is not performed correctly or the wrong muscles are not used, it is most likely counterproductive and could lead to pain or imbalance.

What does this have to do with class size? Well, getting everything right in a class can be quite challenging, and participants will need practical correction from the instructor, no matter what experience they have. Even in my small group Pilates classes, which I have a maximum of 7 people, it can be challenging to ensure safe and effective exercise with such a small number (hence the 7 person limit). I remember attending classes at Leisure Centers such as Virgin Active & Everyone Active, where classes had an average of 25-35 people, it was impossible for the most talented instructors to guarantee safety and correctness when teaching a class, due to the high volume of people there. One of the main reasons people join my classes these days is that their previous classes were too big and they were sure they were doing it right.

What do you do between classes?

Now this is one of the most important things that determine success in my individual sessions. In a one-on-one setting, I always give participants a corrective exercise program to do, usually around twice a day for a minimum of two weeks. Now from experience when you used to receive any form of therapy it can be quite challenging initially to carry out the corrective exercise program, however it is one of the most important sections to achieve optimal results. Looking back, all of my participants who have carried out the corrective exercise program between sessions (in a one-on-one setting) have always received much more effective results, it has also reduced the number of sessions required to achieve the desired results. Obviously, this will be slightly different from the classes, as in a class we cannot perform a biomechanics screen that can tell us which areas we should focus on establishing the corrective exercise program, however, which I have found beneficial for many participants. , is to carry out and practice Pilates principles between classes, such as breathing, alignment, and connections. I won’t go into the exact details of why these will be beneficial (I have other blogs on this), but practicing these skills in between can not only help improve results, but will also help you better understand these principles. better, making your classes more beneficial and also achieving your desired results faster. It’s worth remembering that there are 167 hours between classes each week (if we do one class per week), so it makes sense to practice these principles in between.

These are just a few things to consider in order to achieve optimal results from our Pilates class. As always, there may be other factors as well, but these I would consider to be the most important and effective.

Thank you for reading.

Alex