PILATES FOR PREHAB
PILATES FOR PREHAB
Whether you know it or not, many injuries begin before the point of contact in which the actual injury occurs. Quite often, we don’t “just get hurt;” We were likely already suffering from some type of imbalance or inadequacy that later met with the wrong movement, and BAM!—we’re looking for the ice pack.
If we’re honest, most of the time, we’re mindlesssly going through the motions of life, ignoring nagging little pains (because they’ll resolve, eventually), and are generally unaware of what’s going on within our bodies. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can protect yourself against injuries, big and small, by implementing a little prehab into your self-care regimen.
“Prehab” is the term that’s been assigned to proactively avoiding pain and injury before it becomes a problem. By building strength and stability around areas that are prone to injury, you decrease the possibility that anything will actually happen.
Pilates is the perfect prehab approach, because:
· It is corrective. Corrective exercises are those that fix the problems we may have with our muscle balance or posture that cause an array of preventable injuries. Although recurrent knee issues, ACL tears, and muscle pulls might be common, they’re not normal. When the body is functioning as intended, we are much less susceptible to injuries like these.
· It’s all about the core. If you’ve spent any time around a Pilates enthusiast, you know this to be true. The “Powerhouse” is the connector of every bone and muscle in the body. It’s been said that if you have a strong core, you have a strong body. If you don’t have a strong core, no matter how fit you might look, you have skipped the foundation. At that point, injury is sure to follow, because your body can’t fully support itself without a solid core.
· It forces you to stay present. Most people are doing something “here,” but their mind is “there.” When we don’t fully concentrate on what we’re doing, we open ourselves up to pain. When we are mindful, we can focus on our movement, position, and breath. Mindfulness staves off the possibility of things “just happening,” or “coming out of nowhere.” It’s said to be a superpower, and for those who’ve mastered it, life unquestioningly moves up a level.
If you take part in any sort of sport or competitive event, consider using Pilates for your prehab needs. Not only will you see dramatic changes in your core, posture, and mindset, but the increase in your confidence will be exponential.