No pain, no gain? Polestar educator Karyn Staples PT, PhD, NCPT discusses how cross training, moderation and epsom salt might be crucial ingredients for the perfect fitness recipe.
When You Don’t LOVE your Exercise Anymore
It’s been nearly two months since you resolved to get more exercise. You started with the best intentions. You went to the gym. You were going to run your first race. But then your knee started to bother you. Or maybe it was your foot, your hip or shoulder. And the exercise didn’t seem so great anymore. The motivation to move is gone. It’s easy to become a couch potato.
What symptoms indicate that you need to see your doctor? According to Karyn Staples, PT, PhD, and lead physical therapist at ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio, if you have pain while you’re at rest, pain that wakes you up in the middle of the night, or pain that lasts more than three days, it may be time to see a doctor.
“It’s normal to have muscle soreness twenty-four to forty-eight hours after exercise. If that soreness maintains the same intensity, and does not get any better seventy-two hours later, then you need to see your doctor.”
Staples explained, “It’s normal to have muscle soreness twenty-four to forty-eight hours after exercise. If that soreness maintains the same intensity, and does not get any better seventy-two hours later, then you need to see your doctor.” ProHealth offers Pilates-based physical therapy for those with a doctor’s referral. What does Staples recommend for pain after exercising? “The first thing is to take an Epsom salt bath,” she said. “When you next exercise, do a workout that is less intense. Walk instead of run. Lift weights that are less poundage.”
Karyn also recommends cross training at least once a week. “When you’re sore, if it’s purely muscle soreness from running too hard or too long, you want to do something that moves in a different way. Go through the range of motion for your joints, in a restorative yoga class, full body conditioning class, or a Pilates class.”
Pilates classes or private lessons create better movement.
Pilates classes or private lessons create better movement. How? “Pilates works on awareness of your body movement, working on the local stabilizing muscles. When we workout, we work the large global muscles—the ones that take you from Point A to Point B. We need the local stabilizing muscles to maintain the body in alignment so that the global muscles can do their job,” explained Staples.
One client, Emily, takes weekly Pilates lessons. “I don’t have an impressive physique or any great athleticism, and Pilates is perfect for me. Before Pilates, I would start exercise, and I would reinjure my knee and have to quit. So last year, I began private Pilates lessons. I was doing well, so I added in bike riding and weights at the gym. I feel so much stronger. I have less pain than when I started,” said Emily.
Besides working the local stabilizing muscles, Pilates works on balance. Karyn Staples said, “Balance is twofold—so that you don’t fall over, and balance in the body to decrease asymmetries. When one side is stronger than the other, your body will tend to use the stronger side.”
“Pain is an indication that we’ve chosen a poor movement strategy”
You might hear “No Pain No Gain” at some gyms. “Pain is an indication that we’ve chosen a poor movement strategy” said Staples. Pilates is never supposed to hurt.
It’s hard to love any exercise that hurts. And Staples recommends finding movement that you can enjoy. “It should be fun. That way it’s not a task that you are dreading. There’s a lot of research on emotions. Negative emotions attached to something mean that we will have a negative experience.”
Staples told the story of one patient, a woman training for a marathon. She had pain in her knee while running, and it got worse to the point where she couldn’t walk. She started in Physical Therapy at for Illiotibial Band Syndrome. The Pilates-based therapy was so effective, that after she finished, she continued with Pilates once a week. She’s had a marked improvement in her running, pain-free for months. She calls Pilates her “favorite hour of the week.”
“In 10 sessions, you feel better, 20 sessions you look better, 30 sessions you have a completely new body.” – Joseph Pilates
Join Karyn in the upcoming Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training in Atlanta, GA
I will be brief since this is a whole course in itself! We know that Idiopathic (no known cause) Scoliosis (IS) is a 3 dimensional spinal disorder that begins with anterior vertebral wedging due to RASO (relative anterior spinal overgrowth) during bone development. We also know that the rotational component of scoliosis exists as
both inter-vertebral torsion (rotation of one vertebra relative to another) and intravertebral torsion (an internal rotational distortion within each vertebra), most notably at the apical vertebra (the vertebra most deviated laterally from the vertical axis that passes through the sacrum).1
This distortion contributes to less joint motion at the apex of the curve and more at the transition points of the curve.
We see this to a greater degree in adults and to a lesser degree in adolescents who have a more flexible curve before bone maturity. This is apparent in a supine lateral flexion X-ray that assesses curve flexibility.
Better posture can be achieved by emphasizing the most fundamental principles of all intelligent movement disciplines: axial elongation and breathing. Scoliosis curve concavities are constantly under compression by gravity. Axial elongation encourages a natural re-alignment of the spine by using neuromuscular activity to reduce multi-plane compression and collapse of the concave side of the scoliosis curves.
Once the concavities (which include the ribs) are expanded, then breath can be used to further open the collapse through:
A research article was published in 2014 claiming that scoliosis curves can be reduced by doing side planks on the convex side of the curve, and was sensationalized in a WSJ article.2 But the research had many flaws3 and while interesting, it cannot make that claim. Muscular activity on both the concave and convex side of a scoliosis curve is inefficient and exercises that address each side are optimal for IS, including the Side Plank. Consider benefits of the Side Plank based on curve type:
Life takes us out of neutral spine…shouldn’t we train our scoliosis clients how to move their spine effectively out of neutral? The answer is of course yes…. but which movements and how much? This depends on your assessment of the client: Are they in pain? How much movement does the apex of each curve have? What is the curve type? What other muscle imbalances or injuries exist? What are their goals? Considering that the scoliosis spine tends to move more at the transition points and less at the apices, we may want to limit end range movements and emphasize elongation in postural shapes that minimize compression of the curve concavities. This will be more difficult for those with a double curve. So it is important to make critical decisions with your client based on your evaluation and their goals.
BP: What type of supportive systems are used in a home that you design?
K: They are all wood framed houses so normally wooden beams, columns or structural walls.
Sometimes when we want a long span of open space we use steel beams.
BP: How do you determine how many beams to put up in your house to keep the roof from
caving in?
K: So over 20 feet and under normally requires some sort of wooden beam. Over 20 will
require a bigger/stronger beam.
BP: What would happen if you have to little support?
K: Well the structure would fall, obviously.
BP: What would happen if you have too much support?
K: Too much… nothing would happen to the structure, but it would be a waste of resources.
BP: What other things make your job fun but challenging?
K: It’s fun because it’s creative and each family I design for is unique. It’s challenging for 2
reasons:
1. When the lots are small but people still want to build a big house on limited space.
2. Trying to accommodate everything they want but sometimes those things conflict with each
other physically. For instance, you want a window in the bathroom, but the desired location of
the bathroom is not on an exterior wall. So we either have to move the room, or not have
windows.
BP: Based on this interview I have supported the reasoning for why the quote, “as little as possible, as much as necessary” is important not only in Pilates and architecture but in life in general. Using too much stuff during a job wastes resources; using too little doesn’t create enough support. I have also realized that my job and Kally’s have more similarities than I once imagined. We both have to figure out what is best for our clients through creative and critical thinking. She describes her process of designing a house like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Kally knows what they want, but it is not always a quick fix. Similarly, when a new client walks into my door, they may have a goal for their body, but I know it will take multiple sessions to make that goal a reality.
Becky Phares, PMA®-CPT is a Polestar Pilates Graduate, Practitioner and contributor to the Polestar Life Weekly Blog. With more than 10 years of teaching Becky teaches at her studio The Body Initiative Pilates Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. Find Becky and her Studio on Facebook: 