Pilates for Neck Pain

‘Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong posture, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit‘ Joseph Pilates

There is nothing worse than a pain in the neck, and I say this from personal experience! Neck pain is often associated with headaches, shoulder blade pain and muscle tension. Not surprisingly having a pain in the neck can significantly affect your feeling of wellbeing. Prolonged sitting and inactivity, stress and tension amongst many other factors can lead to muscle weakness and imbalance in the postural and movement muscles around the neck and shoulders.

Pilates is a fantastic form of exercise to help correct this muscle imbalance, and strengthen the muscles that support the head and neck, upper back and shoulders. Pilates also increases body awareness and helps you to develop new posture and movement habits.

One of the benefits of Clinical Lead Pilates is that it is taught by a Physiotherapist who is able to check that you are using the right muscles and that the exercise is pain free. It is particularly important to have a 1:1session with your teacher before embarking on Clinical Pilates if you suffer from neck pain so that the function of the deep neck muscles can be checked before you embark on some of the more challenging exercises. You may need to practice a few exercises at home to target those deep muscles and switch them on.

It is not uncommon for clients to experience neck pain during some Pilates exercises particularly those laying on your back where the head and neck are lifted off the floor. Often the exercise can be adjusted or modified by a good Pilates instructor to make it more comfortable and lead to a more positive movement experience. Often with practice and strengthening these movements will become easier and more comfortable.

I have suffered from neck pain over the years I have spent working a Physiotherapist and since I have been teaching Pilates and practicing it myself my neck pain has significantly improved. I would definitely agree with Joseph Pilates that that elevates the spirits!