Pilates for Neck Pain
Aches and pains are a common reason why people first come to us at Wicked Pilates for Pilates. Usually, our clients have tried just about everything for relief, and they finally give us a call for help after they've exhausted their options. One common problem we see in our Queen Creek studio is neck pain.
Many people have office jobs, and sitting at a computer all day is a common source of poor posture and neck pain. We've found that Pilates is a great way of helping people improve strength, improve posture, and help people get out of pain.
A 2018 study1 found the same thing. In this paper, researchers took 64 patients with neck pain. Half of these patients did 12 weeks of Pilates; the other half received medication for their pain.
At the end of 12 weeks, the patients who did Pilates had less pain, better mobility, better function, and even improved mental health! Even more impressively, the patients who did Pilates continued to see improvement three months after the study completion.
The authors of this study concluded, “The results of this study show that Pilates is an effective treatment for patients with chronic mechanical neck pain, and an important strategy for rehabilitation.”
Another 2018 study2 found that neck pain patients who did Pilates had increased muscle thickness, showing that Pilates helps build strength in neck.
- de Araujo Cazotti L, Jones A, Roger-Silva D, Ribeiro LHC, Natour J. Effectiveness of the Pilates Method in the Treatment of Chronic Mechanical Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2018 May 9. pii: S0003-9993(18)30291-0. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2018.04.018.
- Uluğ N, Yılmaz ÖT, Kara M, Özçakar L. Effects of Pilates and yoga in patients with chronic neck pain: A sonographic study. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 201810;50(1):80-85. doi: 10.2340/16501977-2288.