I am very excited to share this post with you! Today we are talking about how pilates can help bad joints and arthritic pain.

Most questions I have received the last few years regarding rheumatoid arthritis are usually about diet and fitness. On instagram, I get readers asking what type of workouts I can do without hurting my joints further.

Anyone who suffers from joint pain, arthritis, back issues, or anything else mechanical knows exercise can be great, but it can also be harmful!

Pilates is by far my favorite exercise for joint issues, and today I will be sharing a why!

My Pilates instructor, Taylor, is answering some questions too!

How Pilates Can Help Bad Joints and Arthritic Pain

A Background on My Fitness Journey!

I remember when I was in highschool, I wanted to workout with my friends SO bad! Going to the weight room and running on the track were the cool things to do at that age. I tried many times to be involved, but with a really bad knee, it never worked. I would end up coming home in pain with an even more swollen knee.

Eventually, I stopped trying to do the athletic thing and got involved in dancing. I loved dancing! It was easier on my joints, but there were still so many moves I couldn’t do.

As an adult, I started working out with a trainer lifting weights. Weight lifting really aggravated my knees and elbows (my problem joints). 

In college, I started walking all the time. It was a simple exercise I could usually do unless my knees were bothering me. Walking is still one of my favorite activities when the weather is nice 🙂 I still needed some strength training exercises to do, so I started doing Pilates a few years ago at home.

If you remember this post on my favorite 10-15 minute workouts, I reference some DVD’s for doing Pilates at home. I really enjoyed doing these and was surprised how gentle the moves were on my joints!

Now that I have a Pilates studio in town, I have been loving the reformer Pilates movements. It is SO amazing to leave the studio without any pain in my joints, but still feel how well it worked my muscles.

Q & A About Pilates

I know many may not be familiar with Pilates exercises, so I have asked my instructor to answer a few questions for us! How pilates can help bad joints and arthritic pain is all due to the movements it utilizes.

What makes Pilates a unique exercise?

Pilates offers students a low impact work out that is high in effectiveness.  It develops strength and helps to correct posture which can ease back pain and cause a domino effect of health and wellness.  Most of your work out is done laying down!  You can’t beat that!

Are there different types of Pilates exercises?  

There are 2 main veins of pilates. One is a mat based class with exercises performed on the ground on a thick mat.  The second, a reformer driven work out done on a machine.  Much like other forms of fitness, there are many different takes on these two types of Pilates so that everyone can find just what they are looking for.

Explain the benefits of the reformer machine for joints and backs.

Reformer Pilates was developed as a rehabilitative tool,  focusing most movement from the core.  This powerhouse of muscles, when strengthened, can ease the focus and bearing of joints and spine.  Building a stronger core helps to alleviate the majority of the “work” the spine is doing to help keep you upright and active.  Most students report almost immediate relief of back pain.

As we age, we lose fluid in our joints and become stiff and immobile.  Pilates keeps you moving in a low impact environment.  The strength and stretch of a pilates reformer helps to increase blood flow to all areas of the body thus helping to deliver nutrients to muscles and tendons.  Which leads to relieve aches, tension and soreness. 

Can Pilates work for all ages?

Yes!!  I often joke that we aren’t trying to make you a super model or body builder, but we are trying to give you a better quality of life!  Students of all ages can benefit from functional fitness.  We start earlier in life being addicted to technology and just an overall unhealthy spine due to environment.  I’ve had students as young as 13 reap major benefits of the reformer workout.  The eldest client I’ve worked with to date was an 81 years young woman who swore that movement has kept her young, healthy and LIVING life!

Do you have any success stories from people with health issues who have improved with Pilates exercises?

As with any exercise, always seek advise from your doctor before beginning any work out, but I can say with conviction that I have seen pilates work for many goals.  Firm and tone up? Check.  Get down and up off the floor with grandkids? Check.  Reduce or eliminate back pain? Check.  Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus relief? Check.  Delay of the side effects of Parkinson’s? Check.  The list goes on and on but all boils down to your goals, and find an instructor that fits your needs and you enjoy their style.

What if someone doesn’t live next to a studio? How can they do Pilates?

There are many simple exercises that can be done on a mat or bath towel at home.  YouTube is an excellent source for simple Pilates work outs.  Follow directions carefully and take it at your own pace being that no one is on site to make adjustments for you.  I also recommend an app called Club Pilates On Demand.  It has some great work outs and you can tell the app what equipment you have present and all the instructors are quite knowledgeable and provide many tips and tricks to staying safe.

Thank you to Taylor from the Fit Lounge for answering these questions!

Taylor’s Bio

I began my fitness journey in 2011 when I got engaged.  I really wanted that “perfect bridal body”!  I was working out with a trainer 3 times a week and just didn’t love what my body was looking like.  It became bulky and unflattering (to me).  My trainer suggested I try a yoga class.  One class and I was hooked.  I said goodbye to the trainer and hello to mind body exercise!  The next year I completed my first yoga certification.  In the years to follow I completed 4 other yoga trainings and a degree in holistic health and wellness.  In 2018 I came upon a management role at a Reformer Pilates studio.  My intent was just to run the business but after about 2 weeks of taking classes, I was again hooked.  I completed by Pilates certification and off I went.  Relocating to Granbury to bring the love of yoga and Pilates to a community that needs it has brought me so much joy in such a short time. 

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