Healthy people heal faster. Unhealthy people often find themselves in big trouble when it comes to healing after an injury or illness.
Not one of us is immune from injuries or illnesses that come out of the blue. We all get caught off-guard from time to time. The difference between healthy people familiar with proper stretching and breathing techniques and those who are not is that they fare much better when life throws a curveball.
A client of mine recently spent five days helping with one-year-old twin girls. Their mom recently had abdominal surgery and couldn’t lift. My client (the mom’s niece) did the bulk of the lifting (when the twins’ daddy wasn’t home).
Since my client has been doing Pilates for a couple of years, she handled it with ease. On the fifth day, my client was getting up from a sitting position on the floor. She said she recounts the moment she felt a twinge in her back as people do after a car accident. She said she didn’t have her right foot solidly underneath her before she pushed up to a standing position.
She didn’t think much of it at the time. Company was coming. The day flew by. She drove a couple hours home, unpacked her bags, and reached for a cloth bag hanging on a doorknob. THAT’S when it went. Just a reach did it. She froze. She barely could get out of bed for two days. She said were it not for Pilates training, she would not have had the muscles she needed to get up, breathing techniques to help move her body, and the existing strength to support her as she healed.
Pilates is not a shield; it won’t prevent you from injury. It will help you when the inevitable happens. It might not be your back, but something is bound to be pulled, tweaked or hurt because you’re human. Pilates will help you deal with it better. You will recover faster.
If it happens to be your back, how are you going to get your socks and shoes off and on? I suggest a stool during the healing process. It makes it seem like your feet aren’t so far away (because they won’t be).
Sit tall. Bring one foot from the floor and put it on your other leg. Don’t lean back to lift your foot (this will take some concentration because we all have a tendency to do it), OR sit where you have back support! This is a great idea for older people who aren’t so limber anymore, so be sure to suggest it to someone you love!
I also recommend a compression belt to help your back heal. It will help support your spine, taking some pressure off it (while your abdominals retrain to do their job), and allow your inflamed back muscles to relax and focus on healing. Wear it all day if you need. Don’t sleep in it. Do as little as possible for as long as possible to let those angry muscles rest and recover. Consider starting your day with a hot shower and follow it with some ice (I know, but it’s necessary to help with the healing process). Try gentle, mild stretches, slightly above and below your injured area. Stand with your hips and upper back against a wall, feet 5-6 inches away from the wall, and allow your head only to fall forward or to the side to gently stretch your neck. Eventually allow your more of your body to fall away from the wall while using your abdominals to keep from falling forward (not your legs). You will heal — if you take your time, treat it (with heat and ice) often and early, and remember to breathe!
Pilates isn’t just about strength; it’s about flexibility.
