Pilaties Exercise

Pilates exercises for back pain help alleviate sore or strained back muscles. Depending on the severity of the pain, working out may seem like an impossible task. However, in order to get your back into proper working condition, a combination of abdominal exercises with back strengthening exercises is recommended. Pilates is effective because it uses slow, concentrated movements to develop the core for increased mobility and flexibility. These movements help stabilize muscles in the middle of your body, which help take strain off the back.

  1. Abdominals

    • Performing various types of abdominal exercises on the Pilates ball helps engage muscles in the front and back core. Regular abdominal exercises develop these stabilizer muscles, taking pressure and tension off the spine and decreasing back pain. In addition, you will also exercise the lower and mid-back muscles while toning your mid-abdominals. Try a variety of exercises to elongate and relieve the tension within the lower back muscles. Do these exercises a few times a week to ease symptoms of ongoing back problems.

    Obliques

    • The oblique muscles on the sides of your abdominals are just as important as the abdominals in the center of your stomach. These muscles help stabilize balance -- and regular oblique exercise gives you a tight and toned waistline. In addition, strong obliques help you when performing various side-to-side movements. Implement side-to-side crunches to engage the obliques while exercising on the Pilates ball. These exercises will take some of the stress off your mid-back and lower back.

    Lower Back

    • The lower back muscles are comprised of numerous nerves that not only connect to the spine but also several disks near the tailbone. Since there are so many sensitive nerves in this area of your back, a painful back injury may interfere with your mobility on a regular basis. Try Pilates stretching exercises to help ease tension and elongate the muscles in your lower back. Stretching these muscles a few times a week helps relieve pinched nerves in the lower back, which can interfere with your activity level. The main objective of these Pilates exercises is to perform quality repetitions using correct form.

    Mid Back

    • Underdeveloped mid-back muscles lead to tightness in the back, and poor posture, which can affect your overall flexibility. Balancing exercises using a Pilates ball are ideal for decreasing tension and improving posture in your mid-back. These exercises consist of lying horizontally facing the floor while placing your legs onto the ball and balancing your weight with your arms extended underneath you. These exercises help give not only your abdominals an effective workout, but help work the muscles in the mid-back and lower back equally well.