Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group pilates workout

Well even after my rhuemy told me that I should not do pilates I called the infomercial number and got the Winsor Pilates video. www.winsorpilates.com

I did the first 20 minute session today. What a breeze. They have two people demonstrating the moves. One for people with no physical problems and the other for people with neck and lower back problems, ie us ASers.

The jist of all of this is proper breathing, and strengthing the stomach muscles therefore achieving good posture and a strong core to support your lower back. It is also about gently stretching. Pretty much what must rhuemys want us to do. I can not believe that any doctor would not want an ASer to learn this. In this first video there was absolutely nothing strenuous about it, it almost seemed like physical therapy!! I even think that my 72 year old AS mother could do this.

I am going to go slow and do the 20 minute video for a couple of weeks before I add anymore to it.

I will keep you all posted. This is definitely the anti-thesis of the S/M Bally's commercial! And way way way more relaxing and easier than yoga!

Michelle

I can't imagine a doctor saying that Pilates is no good with AS, as far as I have heard it's excellent as it is gentle on the joints. So long as the technique is followed thoroughly.
I have seen on previous posts about pilates that most suggestions involved going to classes first to learn the exact ways to do it properly, such as the breathing technique. I have done a few classes and enjoyed it but I found that the next day I'd almost overdone it because it didn't feel like it was hurting doing the ecercises but you work it a lot more than you suspect. So I'm only doing about 20 mins also until I strengthen those muscles I was sure didn't exist a few weeks ago.
My main aim is to hopefully get to the standard of doing my kickboxing again (no opponent).
Goodluck!!

Sally

Exercise certainly seems to be a key for us all. I've seen the commercials for pilates and it looked good. Well, the taunt, super firm smiling people made it look good. Best wishes for continued success with it. I tend to stray off exercises after a few weeks. Another option is the 20 to 30 inch exercise ball. Roll around on one for a day or so and wow, lotta spinal crack'in! It seconds as a chair to boot.

Keep exercising and staying healthy!
Allan

Glad to hear you had success with Pilates!! I guess it depends on the person, whether or not it works for them. Not too far into the work out, I wound up stuck on the floor, unable to move for awhile. My back went into full spasm.

I decided to try Yoga, and that was my new found miracle!! Along with a very low-carb diet. I've lost 10 lbs in 1 month. I found the Yoga's breathing techniques much easier, well, everything much easier!

I gave my Pilates video to the doctor that I work with. She is very in shape and healthy, but she does have severe scoliosis (it's visually obvious). She tried the Pilates and about died, also. She said that she couldn't believe that I had tried it (since I have AS), and should probably avoid it indefinatly. Stick with Yoga and low impact aerobics.
Doctors orders, no more pilates. We laugh at our gimpy selves all the time. Love her to pieces!

I'm always glad to hear when someone has found something that helps!! YEA!

Take care!

Stacie

Okay so I did the work out yesterday and today my tummy is a little sore, but that is good sore not joint sore.

My upper back is a little tender, but more in the muscles than the joints. If I get to a stage in the workout that I can not do, I will stop.

I can't do yoga. The snake pose is next to impossible and hurts like hell, so does the one where you almost stand on your head. I think that the pilates work out depends on the instructor. In the Winsor Pilates there is always a demonstrator there for people with back problems.

Well tomorrow I will try it again and then walk on the treadmill after to see if that makes it worse.

BYE!

Michelle

I do the pilates. And I think you're doctor may not be informed enough to shoot it down.

I went to my local hospitals physical therapy unit. There great there. I 've used them before when I was younger for an injury. I found that I hurt doing and right after PT, but later I felt great and it lasted a day or so.

THen I watched the info-mercial on Pilates. I ordered it and found that her exercises were so much like my PT exercises. She just adds hand movements and breathing to them. There a some I can't do so I just rest or FF. But I'd have to say, non-professionally, that Pilates are good for AS. They build the right muscles we need and they aren't too strenuous.

Just my opioning since I did PT and Pilates so closely together.

Deborah

Deborah~

To start, the doctor I was referring to is the one I work with, not my own doctor. She was not 'shooting down' Pilates. Maybe I worded my last post wrong. What she was saying, was that she couldn't believe that "I" tried Pilates, because she knows the pain I'm in. She tried the video I lent her, and wound up like I did. Yes, we were probably doing them wrong since we are so uneducated about how to do it... She herself, has very bad curvature of the spine (scoliosis), and we always joke around about the things we can't do anymore.

As I said in my first post, I'm glad for anyone that has found something that has worked for them. I would never tell someone to stop doing something just because it didn't work for me.

Hope that explains it alittle better. Not knocking Pilates!! If it makes you feel better, that's wonderful!

Take care~

Stacie

OH CRAP.

I totally mis-read the post and thought Deborah was responding to my post...

Hee Haw (Im a JackAS)

Please disreguard my last entry. I had an AIRHEAD moment....

Stacie

HI!
It has been my experience that pilates works the anterior core more, and yogs concentrates on the posterior core. I think with AS, where our tendency is to become kyphotic (hunching forward) that it is imperative to concentrate on our posterior chain and do more "pulling" work than "pushing" work.

Sooooo, with that said, perhaps a combination of the two would be great! I love them both, but nothing makes me feel better than lap swimming.

Regards!

Ellyn

Actually, pilates works the core abdominal muscles: transverse abdominus (wraps around like a corset from the spine to the sternumish), obliques (come up the sides from hip to about the 4th rib, responsible for twisting and turning), rectus abdominus (right up the front of the torso, you know, the six pack muscle), the soaze (from the front of the pelvis around to the tailbone), pecs, lats, rhomboid and goodness knows what else - not to mention every single one of our vertebrae that is capable of moving.

A well planned program will work all of these muscles at some point, however lightly or strongly as you wish. And unless you are really badly off, you shouldn't be feeling AS related pain afterward, just some muscles that aren't used to the workout.

Pilates is based in yoga, and many of the moves are similar. The difference lies in the breathing and slight adjustments that make the yoga moves less strenuous on the back (lower back in particular). The Cobra in yoga, puts amazing strain on the lower back. It's counterpart in Pilates is the Swan, which comes in a 'beginner' and an 'advanced' version. The Cobra insists that you keep your pelvis on the floor, even at full extension. The Swan does not - it involves keeping the tailbone curved toward the floor, the core abs activated (via the breathing technique), the shoulder blades relaxed and slightly (like a milimetre) down your spine to activate the rhomboids, and not extending the neck too far. It allows for the pelvis to come off the floor when the arms are straightened (when you reach that level, which takes a while).

The Baby Swan only involves coming up maybe as far as your sternum and your hands are infront of you instead of beside you. You take it in steps, and increase the extension as you can. I've been doing this for almost two years now and only last week did my teacher finally let me do the full Swan without telling me to back off it.

Downward Dog is also slightly different, from what I understand. I only remember that the emphasis on feet flat on the floor isn't there.

My teacher has often said that she wishes people would learn pilates before trying to do the advanced yoga moves, so that they support their spines properly when doing them.

Also, to anyone doing pilates, please DO NOT DO THE ROLL. Our spines are already fragile and my teacher has told me that the roll, while only little and all, might put too much pressure on SIs/Lumbars that are already under pressure. The most I do in that exercise is get to the point where I'm balancing on my, well, I'll say tailbone, but it's not quite, while maintaining the correct C positioning. Still works the abs and the breathing, but no detriment to my spine.

Now, I'm not trying to convert anyone. Heavens forfend that I would do that. However, I do believe that pilates' mat work is extremely beneficial for us, IF IT IS PROPERLY DONE. Which is like anything else in this world (almost). I advocate putting out the money for at least a month's worth of absolute beginner classes, and talking to the teacher about your condition. A good teacher will ask if students have any physical problems that she should know about so she can let you know what to do, or not, and how to adjust exercises to keep them safe for you (not to mention giving you a home programme to do). Only after you have a solid grounding in the basics should you do one of those ricken fricken videos.

So sayeth Kat, the pilates prophet.

Keedoke, I'm stepping down from my soapbox. AGAIN.

Hugs,

Kat