Help Avoid Hip & Knee Replacement – Do Pilates…

A MAT class in The Body Workshop Studios.

Help Avoid Hip & Knee Replacement-Do Pilates...

 
160,000 hip and knee replacements were performed in the UK last year with NHS average waiting times increasing to more than 18 weeks but surgery should be a last resort as most of us can do something for ourselves to help avoid the need for surgery. Self-help measures can be very effective and most of us can future proof ourselves from surgery

Stretching exercise on Pilates Reformer machines

"Exercise and weight loss are actually the first line of defense," says Dr. Eric Berkson, director of the Sports Performance Center at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "It may help prevent the pain and prevent surgery. (http://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/avoiding-knee-or-hip-surgery).

The main component of joint surgery avoidance is strengthening the muscles that support your joints. The quadriceps in the front of the thigh and the hamstrings in the back are key to knee strength. "Every time you walk or run or do anything weight-bearing, the quads absorb the shock. The stronger your quads are, the less load that gets transferred into the joint," says David Nolan, a physical therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The gluteal muscles in the buttocks and flexors in the pelvis are important for hip strength and flexibility and mobilizing the leg bone in the hip socket. Nolan goes on to explain that stretching is also important to keep the muscles flexible as exercising  brings more blood flow to the area and makes the muscle more amenable to change.

As many Pilates exercises are non-weight bearing people tend to find the discomforts they feel in knees and hips don't appear, giving them the opportunity to strengthen muscles and mobilise their joints in a pain free environment. Under expert tuition and in the only comprehensively equipped and dedicated studios in the town you can do it right here in Cirencester at The Body Workshop Pilates studios. Call Anne at The Body Workshop Pilates on 01285 655446 for more details or visit their website at www.thebodyworkshop.net.