This Trending Core Workout Cured My Back Pain In 4 Weeks

Globally, 1.6 billion people suffer from back pain each year. Sedentary lifestyles, stress and poor posture can all trigger back pain, along with other bodily ailments. The good news? Pilates can be an effective antidote. A study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies last year found that three Pilates sessions a week, spread over a month and a half, can significantly reduce backache and pain. Other studies found that similar results could be achieved in as little as four weeks – which I personally found to be the case.

I’ve been practising Pilates for several months now, returning each time for the cocoon-like environment and attention to technique. After just a few sessions, I found my posture to be straighter: I held myself better. Each week I book in to two or three classes, alternating between reformer Pilates and Lagree (a high-intensity, low-impact workout that draws on elements of Pilates, cardio and strength training), and throwing in an infrared Yoga session, too.

In addition to my body tightening up, the main benefit has been my back pain clearing up, which I attribute to strengthening the stabilising muscles through my regular Pilates workouts.

“Pilates specifically targets these stabilising muscles, most notably the transverse abdominals (the muscles that run down the side of your stomach), the pelvic floor muscles and multifidus muscles that surround the spine,” Constance de Schompré, the founder of French Pilates studio the New Me Paris.

Because each movement is controlled by a precise tempo with cued breathing, Pilates helps to increase body awareness and reduce stress, which in turn helps to reduce muscular aches and strains. It’s a virtuous cycle!

“Far from being a passing trend, reformer Pilates beds and equipment, fitted with straps and resistors, have been used for many years by physiotherapists to help rehabilitate patients,” de Schompré adds. One of the big advantages of a regular practice is its gentle, low-impact, muscular mobilisation, which can help with lower back pain, sciatica and hernias.

Why I practice Pilates and yoga

“Although yoga and reformer Pilates are two distinct types of exercise, they complement each other perfectly,” explains de Schompré. “Yoga provides flexibility, relaxation and mindfulness, while reformer Pilates strengthens the body.” Yoga sequences can help to release tension throughout the body, help to improve blood flow and bring the nervous system into a state of calm – all of which can help with pain management and reduction.

I’ve found that my ideal cadence is a minimum of two reformer Pilates sessions a week with a weekly yoga class either at home or at a studio – and my back is thanking me for it.