Prehab Pilates: A new fad or an old wine in a new bottle?
You must have heard of the idiom “A stitch in time, saves nine”, haven’t you? I am sure you have heard “prevention is better than cure”. Although it is a beaten path, we are willing to go down it again because people seem to forget this so often. In this blog we discuss Prehab Pilates, which is the opposite of Rehab Pilates.
What is Prehab?
Prehab can have two meanings. It is a term used for an exercise program that is done before a scheduled surgery like a knee or a hip replacement to strengthen the joint and muscles around it before the surgery for faster recovery after. There have been studies conducted to show that the process of prehabilitation, that is conducted four to six weeks prior to surgery, helps to accelerate the speed at which patients recover post surgery.
The second way to look at Prehab is from a sports perspective. By definition, it is a form of personalized risk assessment and exercise protocols designed to train an athlete to their maximum potential while reducing the chances of any unwanted injuries. These include rehab-like exercises that are usually done after an injury occurs. Prehab can be the key to keeping you healthy and reducing the risk of injury. Prehab exercises generally target smaller, more specific movements and muscles which may get neglected in the regular gym training routine or sports programme.
Why should you do Prehab?
Less time spent being injured or in pain means more time spent doing the things we can enjoy! We should take time to do preventative exercises that can save time rehabilitating in the future. It will help prepare the body for the physical demands of your favourite sport or activity.
Repetitive movements and the daily stresses of training can cause negative effects within the body like tightness of muscle groups or imbalances of strength, coordination, or muscle stabilization. These imbalances tend to occur naturally with activity and are reinforced with each workout. These are often the root cause of many training injuries and may predispose an athlete to greater risk of injury. For any athlete, a prehab program should be progressive, and re-evaluated periodically so it can change with their needs.
Pilates for Prehab
Pilates is the perfect add-on to all kind of workouts to enable one to perform better in their daily activities and any sport they may be a part of. It is beneficial for prehab as it focuses on core strength and coordination. Core instability can be common as sports training focuses more on the skill required for the sport more than specific body parts. This leaves the core without a direct focus or training routine.
A Pilates prehab program will address total body balance and consider sports-specific needs. The exercises will help improve the range of motion, strength, coordination, and stabilization.
A Pilates prehab routine can be a subtle, focused exercise or a complex sequence of movements designed for dynamic stabilization. We can use a Pilates program to address the anterior and posterior slings of the body related to the sport to work on any imbalances in the muscle groups.
The most common offenders of stress-induced injuries and pain are often the knees, shoulders, and back. The reason for this is mostly to do with improper movement and/or bad posture. Pilates works to fix all these weaknesses before they lead to injury.
Are you developing knee pain? We can focus on strengthening your hips.
Is the back pain setting in? Let’s strengthen your core.
Do you have shoulder pain? We will work on your range of motion.
Prehab Pilates is not just for athletes
Many of us have been working out since a long time. We participate in activities such as running, weight-lifting, dancing, kick boxing, aerobics, etc.
Sometimes, we can develop backaches, knee pain, limited hip and shoulder movements or difficulties doing activities like reaching for something above our heads or picking something up off the floor. Sometimes, we may even wake up achy and stiff.
Pilates movements will give the same benefits of strengthening, improving mobility and flexibility, along with calorie-burn, but it can be achieved in a way that is safe for the joints and its various components.
Pilates exercises can strengthen the entire body and improve our flexibility at the same time and all this without causing unnecessary pain.
Prehab isn’t a fad; it is the correct way you should think of working out. Want to experience Prehab Pilates for yourself? Contact us.
A writer and Pilates instructor by profession, and a lawyer by education, Tarannum is passionate about art, travel, fitness and food. She has been practicing Pilates for the past five years at Moushu’s Pilates Studio and has experienced the transforming effects of it on her body, firsthand.