A client JW (36 year old female) was referred to Focus Pilates with a Prolapsed Disc of the lower lumbar spine (lower back). The pain in her lower back was so great that it radiated down the front of her thighs. She was unable to sit and turn in bed without pain, and this severely affected her work and sleep. After attending Physio-Pilates sessions twice weekly for two weeks she reported being able to sit at work and turn in bed without pain.

In the first session a full assessment was carried out with the aim of identifying the contributing factors of her prolapsed disc. The symptoms she reported by the patient were quite severe, she was having radiating pain down her legs with all spinal movements, including bending forward, backwards, side bending and rotation.   All of these movements originated from her lower back.

During the assessment it was found that she had reduced mobility of her hip joints and her thoracic spine (upper back) which caused her to have excessive movement in her lumbar spine.  This meant that she could not stabilise the lower part of her spine with her deep core muscles meaning any movement of her spine would likely aggravate her condition.

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The shoulder joint is a complex ball and socket joint, formed by the head of the humerus (long arm bone), scapula (shoulder blade) and clavicle (collar bone). The shape of these bones do not form a particularly stable joint, therefore a group of muscles known as the rotator cuff play an integral role in stabilising the shoulder joint and maintaining the bones in place. We rely on a mobile shoulder joint to allow us to carry out everyday tasks such as overhead reaching, placing our arm behind our back and head, and lifting objects, and in order to provide enough movement the shoulder joint sacrifices stability. With repetitive movement in a joint that lacks stability, there is unfortunately a greater risk of injury occurring, making shoulder injuries a common complaint.

5 common shoulder injuries are:

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When you have an injury first step may be to see your GP depending on the severity you may then be referred to a Physiotherapist. Physiotherapy is beneficial for pain relief, achieving full range of movement and resuming full function. However, after you are discharged it can be difficult to continue an exercise program independently. More often than not the underlying muscle imbalance and poor movement strategies remain and it may only be a matter of time before your injury or pain returns.

Maintaining strength, posture, flexibility and muscle balance is a great way to prevent a repeat injury. Pilates is a great form of exercise to maintain all of these things as it is low impact and gentle on the joints so there is little danger of it putting pressure on an injured area.

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