Neck strain and discomfort in the neck is definitely common among my pregnant and non-pregnant clients. Here’s a common question I get from women who email me about doing pilates during pregnancy.
“I have a prenatal pilates video so I can keep in shape through my pregnancy, but everytime I do it, I just end up with a sore neck. Are there any Pilates gurus out there to tell me what I am doing wrong in my techinque?”
This happens to me sometimes when I do not concentrate on my form. When you are holding your head & neck off the ground, try to concentrate on “leading with the shoulders and lifting from your breastbone” not your head. If it helps, pick a spot on the wall or ceiling to focus on.
Other suggestions I’ve heard and tried are pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
The number one solution to the problem of this neck pain is: put your head down!
You can also prop a pillow underneath your head, neck and slightly under your shoulders to lift up the upper enough to help you engage your core a bit.
Check out the following articles for more information on safety during your prenatal pilates workout.
http://www.prenatalpilates.org/uncategorized/pre-natal-pilates
http://www.prenatalpilates.org/how-to-do-prenatal-pilates/pilates-for-pregnancy
You can also check out these books which were invaluable to me during my own pregnancy.
Pilates and Pregnancy: A Workbook for Before, During and After Pregnancy W/DVD
Also, one additional resource I would highly suggest you pick up now and use even after you have your baby…it’s this mp3 workout from Lynda Lippin.
Pilates for Neck and Shoulder Pain
Stay safe and don’t be afraid to just put your head down or stop doing an exercise – if it doesn’t feel good, then stop!
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Even though I’m a pilates instructor and was trained to teach women through all their stages of pregnancy, it took a good swift kick to get me doing prenatal pilates myself. Only after experiencing sciatica pain, and some other hip area pain did I realize that I needed to apply what I had learned. I worked with a physical therapist and pilates instructor through the last 4 months of my pregnancy with great results. I only wish I had started earlier. I’ll tell you why.
No matter what trimester you are in your pregnancy, you can benefit from some type of pilates exercise. In general, gentle exercise during pregnancy is usually safe and can actually be very beneficial to the mother-to-be. Prenatal Pilates is a low impact exercise that does not require you to do weight bearing exercise–thus making the risk of injury to you and your unborn baby very slim. Because of this, pilates during pregnancy has become very popular and has grown immensely in recent years. It’s no surprising since there are so many reasons why it benefits the pregnant woman’s body and mind.
As your probably know, exercising releases endorphins and other feel good hormones. The release of endorphins helps to reduce stress levels–thus, also helping to stabilize a woman’s mood if hormonal changes in the body are creating emotional highs and lows. While some might play this mood boosting benefit as not important, if you have been pregnant or married to one, you’ll know how important it is to keep the mood light. It can easily descend into tears at some points during pregnancy. In addition to the mood benefit of doing exercise and a pilates workout routine, the activity will help maintain a woman’s energy and stamina during labor and in those first sleep-deprived months after the baby is born.
Prenatal pilates also has other benefits that are unique to this type of movement. Pilates exercises focus on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and abdominals, both of which are naturally weakened by pregnancy. Exercising and strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can help get through the pushing stage of labor, and because it increases the circulation of blood it can also make post partum healing much faster. These same pilates pelvic floor strengthening exercises can be done almost immediately after birth — again, making it much easier for the body to heal. It can also help your body repair faster after a c-section, which is what happened for me. I wasn’t expecting to have a c-section and the discomfort in those first few days was unbearable, but I made it through and then quickly healed by doing some simple pilates breathing techniques, since I could actually do “crunches” for quite awhile.
Pilates and prenatal pilates also helps get you in shape for after the baby – by strengthening your upper back and arms, hips/butt/and thighs! All of these muscles will be used and overused to pick up your baby, put your baby to sleep, rock your baby, breastfeed your baby…and you need to stay strong so you don’t pull a muscle. I can’t tell you how many times I picked my daugther up and felt that little tweak in my back…and I’m a pilates instructor — I know better!
Pilates exercises are done in many different ways — on hands and knees, on the back, on the side, and some even standing up. Many Prenatal Pilates exercises are done in the quadruped position on hands and knees, which is a great position use later stages of pregnancy to encourage the baby to turn his/her head downwards for an ideal labor position. Side-lying positions are also great for pregnancy, because they allow you to strengthen your hips without putting additional pressure on them (that big baby is quite enough thank you!) Doing these side lying exercises also help to reduce both back and pelvis pain, which is a problem which most pregnant women suffer from to some degree.
Now that you know why you should do pilates during pregnancy and even after your pregnancy, please remember to always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program during pregnancy. As long as you are having no complications, you should be clear to start doing pilates and there should be no risk to either the mother or the baby. Additional measures pregnant women may want to consider to keep themselves safe while exercising are avoiding any exercise which requires lying on their backs, as the weight of the baby pressing on the spine can restrict blood flow. Also, put a pillow under your belly when you are lying on your side doing exercises. It feels great and keeps your belly from pulling down to the floor. Keep in mind that even if you have received clearance to workout or do pilates, that every pregnancy is different. Even people who worked out regularly before pregnancy, sometimes develop aches and pains and pinches that make it painful to do some movements. Err on the side of caution at all times. Drink plenty of fluids and try to exercise in a well ventilated area. Stop if you feel dizzy and call a doctor if the dizziness persists.
I highly suggest attending a few prenatal pilates mat classes, if they offer them in your area. Also, you can check with local physcial therapists to see if they have any special programs for pre and postnatal women. I was lucky enough to have one in my area, but I’m sure they have them elsewhere too. Also, many pt’s do have experience with pregnant women, so don’t be afraid to ask — it’s covered by insurance usually!
Stay tuned for more tips on starting prenatal pilates.
