Over the years, many studies have shown that pilates is an effective method for rehabilitation. It is a type of physical therapy that uses pilates principles to help patients recover from injuries and improve their overall physical health.
One of the prominent features of this pilates rehabilitation is that it can take an individual from the early stages of rehab to a fully conditioned and functioning body in the long run, allowing them to return to their normal lifestyle without any restrictions- and prevent the risk of future injuries. Here are some primary ways rehabilitative pilates makes this possible through an interesting body-mind connection.
Increases Core Strength
If you know a few things about pilates, you are aware it is famously known for its emphasis on the body core, which is the centre of the body from where all movements stem – So its nickname is “the powerhouse.”. Core muscles and control are essential for everyday movement, even for basic things like walking, standing and running.
RehabpPilates strengthens the core muscles for improved control, so your body does not have to overcompensate for inefficient movements resulting from injuries. It helps to regain your stability and balance, making you function efficiently while reducing the probability of future injuries.
Improves Cognitive Functioning And Motor Learning
The basic application of pilates principles, in general, improves cognitive functioning mainly in the form of increasing blood flow to the brain, increasing neurotransmitters, and also the longevity of neurons responsible for learning, memory, and executive thinking.
Similarly, rehabilitation pilates takes its own steady and slow way in making you better aware of your body’s alignment and positioning. It involves a lot of dynamic exercises which elongate and strengthen the muscles.
It gives your muscles a more extensive range of motions that promotes stability while reducing stiffness and plaguing in the body. This is where the motor learning process occurs, taking you from the stiff, awkward cognitive stage to the expert stage, where fluid movement seems to occur automatically.
Reduces Stress and Speeds Up The Healing Process
Recovering from an injury is a long journey that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a right mind-and-body connection to motivate you to have a positive outlook on this process. Continuing from the benefit of body awareness, rehabilitation pilates allows inward focus, and using breath techniques from pilates deregulates the nervous system.
This helps take your body out of the fight-or-flight mode, lower cortisol (stress hormones), and thereby reduce stress. In addition, reducing this stress built up in your mind makes it easy to acknowledge the recovery process and keep yourself motivated throughout the phase.
Active Rehabilitative Approach Than Some Passive Physical Therapy Methods
Due to pilate’s rehabilitative nature, many find more injury recovery success in this approach than in passive physical therapy methods. With pilates, it’s very easy to adapt the forms of training to best suit your recovery requirements, then physical therapies, which are often restrictive.
Rehabilitative pilates is also a whole-body exercise routine, whereas physical therapy targets only the injured area of the body. This comprehensive approach allows pilates to improve the body’s capacity to prevent future injuries.
Rehabilitative pilates is designed by a physiotherapist or your pilates coach depending on your injury, its condition, and what approach it needs towards sustainable recovery. However, preparing your body to prevent future injuries is a general part of a standard rehab pilates program, especially if you’re an athlete.
