As written by Southampton Pilates Instructor and Sports Massage Therapist: Cristina D’Ercole.

“My personal experience with Pilates started in 2014 after numerous injuries; the last was a meniscectomy, a knee injury. Even 6months after the surgery, I was still struggling with flexion and extension of my right knee. Daily Pilates helped me to regain my strength and mobility. After 3 years as a Sports and Remedial Massage Therapist, training as a PilatesTeacher was a natural progression for me. After a Pilates session I feel lengthened, freer, stronger, calmer yet energised … and my aim is to introduce this wonderful experience into the lives of those who could benefit from it.”

Southampton Pilates Classes

Desk-tight shoulders, sore neck, old running injury to the knee, dodgy hamstrings… It’s the inevitable result of decades spent doing 8-9 hours per day in a desk chair followed by frantic fitness sessions in the gym in an effort to rectify the damage. The result? Producing an even tighter set of muscles which could lead to a really painful Sports Massage treatment and many of them!

My recommendation to my clients is to have a routine in Sports Massage in order to prevent injury from occurring, rather than treating them painfully afterwards. However, most of the time if treatments are not combined with correct postural exercise, it is not enough to get the results you crave, you need.

This is due to the fact that every bit of muscular tension or injury is coming from a weakness/tightness imbalance in the area. When the balance of muscles is upset, the body has to choose a different combination to achieve the movement. Basically our body creates a “cheating mechanism” which lead to a less efficient and less effective movement, since the muscles are not firing properly. In other words, some muscles are held tight for long period while others are held lengthened.

This is why doing general stretching exercises or undirected fitness class won’t solve the problem, it needs to be targeted and tailored for you. Our Southampton Pilates Courses can be a perfect partner for your regular Sports Massage treatments. The massage will help to loosen up area of tension, releasing trigger points, increasing flexibility; then Pilates will help you by improving your core strength and stability.

I imagine these are all terms you have heard of, but let me explain this better:

In Pilates we are looking for specific muscular engagement in the correct order of recruitment and under control. Joseph Pilates‘ original principle were noted as:

• Breathing
• Concentration
• Control
• Centering
• Precision
• Flow

By emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration on smooth, flowing movement (“lengthen out from your centre”) you will restore your body balance. Further, by developing proper technique, you can actually re-train your body to move in safer, more efficient muscle recruitment patterns for a healthier future and less injuries!

Pilates enhances your body’s awareness – invaluable for injury recovery, sportsperformance, good posture and optimal health. That’s why so many professional sports teams and elite athletes now use Pilates as a part of their training regime. It really is so valuable.

Alongside the physical benefits, massage and Pilates can also provide psychological benefits. Massage for releasing endorphins in your body and Pilates through the benefit of better breathing. For instance, slow, deep breathing helps to reverse the stress responses of the nervous system, improve mood and calm the nerve regenerating vital energy and helps regulate the appetite.

The perfect reason to seek a Sports massage at our Southampton Studio after your next Pilates class!

Follow the link to read more about our Pilates in Southampton

Read about how Pilates helps Back Pain

Follow this link to check our our Southampton Sports Massage page