I’ve just come back from a 2 day Back Care course in Leeds run by PFE (formerly Northern Fitness) and taught by Jenny Heron (great course and highly recommended).
I learned a lot more about backs, what can go wrong with them and how to help people with back problems get better.
The biggest take-away from the course though was “Prevention is better than a cure”. Once the back has been injured either by an accident or accelerated wear and tear caused by poor posture, rehabilitation can often take a long time.
The back is an incredible piece of engineering and is designed to be strong and unless physically injured, last a life time. As we age it does deteriorate but if we look after it by keeping it mobilised and flexible there’s no reason why we can’t live out our lives back-pain free.
If you were a car you’d be forced into getting regular services and an MOT once a year to keep you safe and any preventative maintenance would be done as a matter of course. Sadly as humans we don’t have to, although we should.
I can imagine everyone who’s under 40 yawning at this point thinking that as they don’t have any back pain / problem / issue at this time that this article isn’t for them.
You’re wrong 
Keeping your spine strong, flexible and fully mobile is your best chance of avoiding back problems later in life, and the earlier you start the better.
Working on your back alone though isn’t going to be enough because back stability is dependant on so many other parts of the body contributing to the spines’ overall stability (muscle strength / balance / pelvic stability….)
That’s where the magic of Pilates comes in.
It’s preventitive maintainance for your whole body.
It’ll balance you, make you stronger, more flexible and improve the quality of your life.
It has for me (Bob) and my wife (Carol) and I’m sure that whether you already have a back problem or you just want to help ensure you don’t get one, Pilates can help you if you practice it regularly.
Remember – before you start any new exercise program, including Pilates, make sure you’ve been cleared by a health professional. Let’s be safe
Robert Bartram
(Pilates Instructor)