When you have pain in your body, like lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain,

hip pain, knee pain or groin pain, what kind of health program would you choose

after a doctor's consultation?

Would you choose to do nothing and wait for the pain to go away "magically"?

Or assume that it is a minor aliment; sign up at the nearest gym and train in

hope to get better?

The fact is some people will do either one of the above or even all of the above.

How Pain Begins

If you suffer from lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee

pain or groin pain, they don't just go away when you do nothing. It might go

away for a while in the beginning. But most pain will return again and again at

closer and closer intervals, and become chronic! Until you do something!

When you sit at your desk over prolong period of time in a certain fixed

position, without moving, the body gets tired and fatigued. It will manifest

itself as soreness in areas that is stressed like neck pain and shoulder pain.

Repetitive long hours like this over days and weeks will soon turned this

soreness into chronic pain or tightness.

Pilates Pain Relief

Pilates is highly recommended not just by doctors as a tool to restore the

body to health, it is also regarded by chiropractors and physiotherapists as the

post rehabilitation treatment to go into. Some physiotherapist trained in Pilates,

even put their patients onto Pilates program immediately.

All muscles that are tight are both weak and short. They need to be stretched so

that they can return to its original length. As some muscles are so tight from

many years of non stretching, it takes a few sessions to persuade them to

lengthen. When a sore area no longer feels tender or in pain, it is time to

embark on the next phase - muscle strengthening program.

So is Pilates a Commodity?

This is a very important question? It can well be understood if one has a common

cold, one goes to a general practitioner. But if the cold turned into a nasty

chest infection, is it crucial to seek the expertise of a specialist so that a

fast recovery can be guaranteed.

More often than not, Pilates is taken as a commodity and compared to doing a

general fitness program or working out in the gym; more like doing something for

recreational sake and is judged by the price alone!! Almost all the time!!!

Most people do not bother to find out what Pilates actually entails and how it

can help in pain relief. It is important to know the difference between

a "standard" Pilates program verses a "pain relief" Pilates program.

The former will be something akin to following a video tape in which you do a

whole series of Pilates exercises except you have the company of a teacher by

your side.

The latter is all about specifics. Pilates pain relief exercises is about doing

specific exercises with the body in specific angle (sometimes involving soft

apparatus like balls) to target specific areas in pain. If you have neck pain

and or shoulder pain, there is a specific series of Pilates pain relief

exercises for neck pain and shoulder pain. If you have lower back pain, there is

a specific series of Pilates pain relief exercises that works for lower back

pain. Every case is different and the difference lies in the angles of the

subject in pain for all Pilates pain relief exercise.

So if you suffer from lower back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain,

knee pain or groin pain, would you just do ANY general Pilates program? Or even

consider a Pilates group program?

Certainly not! Or you might end up with even more pain.

Depending on kind of pain you have, the right prescribed rehabilitation program

on specific Pilates pain relief exercises by a well trained Pilates instructor /

professional can help you achieve instant result - being pain free!!!

But if you continue to see Pilates as a common commodity that you can get

anywhere, it will just be what you view it to be - just a general program.

You need to stop taking Pilates like a commodity!

But if your body is in pain, do your body a favor and invest in a quality

program that it deserve so that you get an optimum body to enjoy a pain free

lifestyle - doing whatever you enjoy!

In life, demand health!