PILATES: WILL IT HELP ME?

Have you ever wondered how Roger Federer plays tennis so effortlessly, or how Tiger Woods can drive the ball so far along the fairway? One key is they both include pilates in their training regime.

Pilates may be the latest fitness trend, but it originated over 100 years ago and has been developing ever since. It has re-emerged recently as an effective tool for management of lower back pain and whole body conditioning, primarily due to recent research developments into pelvic and core stability training.

Performance is not only affected by power and strength, but also by core control. Core control and strength is not how long you can hold a plank or if you can kneel on a swiss ball! It is the efficient and co-ordinated use of your core and global muscle systems. This stability through your core enhances activity of your limbs. It does this by providing a secure base to work/move from. As a result, “wasted” muscle activity is minimised. For example, Tiger Woods' strength is all directed into his swing because he doesn't have to waste effort keeping his balance. Core stability can also reduce a sportsman's injury risks, particularly overuse injuries. With a controlled core there is less repeated inefficient activity overstressing joint and soft tissue structures.

There are two main muscle systems controlling our bodies’ movement: the superficial, global, movement muscles, and the deep, core, stabilising muscles. Global muscles are long, type 2, power muscles designed to move our limbs and work at high loads. The consequence of this is that they fatigue, which results in that “burn” feeling after intense exercise. For example, your six pack muscle after 20 sit-ups, or your quad muscles after running the City-2-Surf. These global muscles can help stabilise your joints, but if used to do so over an extended period of time (ie. if your core muscles are not working effectively) they can cause loss of joint flexibility and shock absorption, leading to increased injury risk.

Your core muscles are shorter, type 1 fibres and lie close to the joints to provide control and stability directly to that joint. These muscles are designed to constantly work under low load without our conscious awareness that they are working. As a result, they provide effective joint control without applying large amounts of compression around the joints, consequently keeping your joints in good health. These muscles include our Transverse Abdominus (often described as a corset) and our pelvic floor (yes, you have one too, gents!). Working sub-maximally means they don't fatigue, so you don't feel that “burn” sensation as with our global muscles. Recruiting core, type 1 endurance muscle is the main aim in pilates stability training. Once this is achieved, you have the base for increased efficiency for global muscle activity; for example, the power Federer generates in his one-handed backhand while sliding on one foot.

Lower back pain can be the result of an injury or poor muscular recruitment patterns. That is, our muscles stop working in an efficient and co-ordinated way due to particular loads placed upon our bodies. For example, following pregnancy, or prolonged sitting slumped in front of the computer. Poor muscle co-ordination and reduced stabilisation can also result from pain and injury, in particular back and neck pain. Recent research has shown that pain stops the core muscles from switching on, which consequently results in overuse of other global, movement muscles, and promotes altered movement patterns and stiffens up joints. This sets up a spiral pattern of increased pain, reduced core activation, worsening muscle recruitment patterns and increased risk of further injury. This is where pilates can interrupt the cycle, retraining the core stabilising muscles, down-training the overactive global movement muscles, and improving co-ordination and efficiency of our movement.

Whether you have back pain or not, pilates is an effective form of exercise. For those of you who suffer back pain, it will retrain muscle co-ordination and increase core stability, reducing your lower back pain. For the rest of us, improved core stability and enhanced muscle efficiency will improve your performance on the sports field. I can't guarantee you will be the next Tiger Woods though!

Sally Done graduated from Sydney University in 2002. Since then she has worked in both Sydney and London. She has vast experience in treating sports injuries, with a particular interest in treating dance and gymnastic injuries. She has worked with various rugby and AFL teams and is currently the physio for the Sydney Uni Flames basketball team. Sally is also our resident clinical pilates instructor, teaching small classes at the clinic.