How Pilates Reduces Ergonomic Injuries

There was a time when pilates was thought to be just for professional dancers. In actuality,  Joseph Pilates originally invented his stretching system for bedridden hospital patients to allow them to exercise from their hospital beds. Over time, however, pilates was viewed as unmanly. But there’s a reason pilates has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. Professional athletes and assembly line workers alike are learning about how pilates reduces ergonomic injuries by stretching, strengthening and aligning your body. As a result, people are feeling stronger and eliminating nagging aches and pains that have plagued them for year, or quite possibly, their whole lives.

Take a play from the Packers’ Playbook

It made headlines a few years back when news stories came out revealing that the Green Bay Packers had integrated Pilates into their training regimen. However, what their trainers had discovered is that pilates requires a connection to your body that allows their athletes to hone into muscle imbalances that indicate what muscles they should focus on.  Often tiny muscles are neglected that support the stronger, dominant ones. As a result of this body awareness, their players are able to reduce injuries and gain a competitive edge.

That’s great. But what can pilates do for you… you ask?

The short answer: a ton. Though working surfaces with adjustable working heights limit ­bodily stress and reduce repetitive motion injuries, they aren’t miracle workers. Even the best Lange Lift tables in the industry can’t compensate for your old football or wrestling injury. 

That’s where Pilates comes into the picture.

How pilates reduces ergonomic injuries for Wisconsin workers

As machinists, welders, assembly line workers and material fabricators, we don’t have to tell you that you’re doing the same motions over and over. If your shoulder flares up after four hours and you pop some Advil, you may temporarily alleviate the inflammation, but you aren’t addressing the underlying issue. Though pilates can’t get rid of all physical issues, it has proven to help those who have lived with pain their whole lives reduce or eliminate it with proper strengthening and stretching.

A good pilates regimen has many ergonomic benefits including:

  • A stronger core. Strengthening your abdominal muscles helps to improve posture and prevent muscle imbalances that cause aches and pains to begin with. A weak core is often the culprit behind chronic back pain.
  • Increased flexibility. Loosening up your back, hamstring, quads and hips make doing those repetitive motions less difficult, resulting in less injuries.
  • Stress Relief. Gentle stretching metabolizes the stress hormones that build up in your muscles making you feel more relaxed.

At Lange Lift, we’ve been reducing ergonomic risks since 1934

At Lange Lift, we create products that limit ­bodily stress, reduce repetitive motion injuries, and increase ­efficiency. If you have the opportunity to try pilates, give it a try and see if it works as another tool in your box to keep you productive and healthy. And contact us today for height adjustable tables to help reduce your ergonomic risks.l