25 Sep Pilates and hand therapy
Suffering from an elbow or hand overuse injury? Your hand therapist may suggest pilates for proximal strengthening.
If you are suffering from an elbow or hand overuse injury, the problem may stem proximally from your shoulder or core. Weakness further up the chain in your arm may increase the stress on the joint further down such as the elbow and wrist.
If we strengthen the shoulder and core this can provide us with a strong foundation and increased stability for increased control of our distal joints i.e. the hand and elbow and reduce the load placed through these joints.
Pilates for proximal strengthening
If you have proximal instability (stability of the joint closest to the body such as the shoulder girdle) you may be introduced to pilates which is a relatively low impact form of strengthening exercise.
Your therapist may recommend using the pilates as a tool to help to develop the strength in your shoulder muscles and improve proximal stability thus providing the support needed for optimal postural alignment and endurance so that the load placed through distal joints is reduced. This will help to reduce overuse of the tendons further down the chain and thus lead to decreased pain and inflammation in these joints.
Types of pilates
Pilates includes both floor and apparatus work. The floor work uses the force of gravity and body weight as the main source of resistance while small apparatus may be used such as resistance bands, foam blocks and small weights are some of the ways to modify exercises and increase difficulty.
You may be also introduced to the reformer pilates machine – this machine provides resistance with springs of varying tension.
Reformer pilates machine at the Melbourne Hand Rehab Essendon clinic gym.
Using pilates to strengthen our shoulder can help in a number of ways including:
- Prevent elbow and hand overuse injuries by learning proper muscle activation proximally
- Improved posture and core stability
- Prevention of injuries
- Restoration of normal movement patterns
Common pilates exercises used in our clinics
Chariot Pull: Targets your shoulder muscles
Dead bug: Targets your abdominal muscles
Seated row: Targets your back muscles
Bicep curls: Targets your arm muscles
Chest press: Targets your chest muscles
If you think you may have weakness in your upper body, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a therapist from your nearest Melbourne Hand Rehab clinic!
If you are experiencing finger, hand or wrist pain, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to help you.
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For more information, call us directly on 03 9458 5166
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