Care readers,
if there is a disorder that many women have in common perimenopause And menopause is the backacheeven if in reality we are talking about an extremely democratic pain. Sometimes it appears in the morning as soon as you get out of bed. Other times it occurs after many hours sitting in front of the computer, a long walk or even after a seemingly peaceful night’s sleep.
The interesting thing is that it often doesn’t depend on an actual one spinal pathology. Much more frequently it is the result of a series of adaptations that the body implements over time and which, with hormonal changes, become increasingly evident. For this reason, when we talk about back pain after age 50we shouldn’t just look at the back. We should look at the body as a whole. And this is precisely where the Pilates can make an important difference.
What changes in the back during menopause
The estrogens they don’t just affect your menstrual cycle or bone health. They also play a role in the quality of connective tissuesin muscle function and in the body’s ability to recover.
With their decrease, many women begin to perceive a greater joint stiffnessa reduction in mobility and a general feeling of a “heavier body”. Added to this is a physiological phenomenon that tends to accelerate with age: the progressive loss of muscle massknown as sarcopenia. Muscles represent our natural support system. When they become less efficient, the joints and spine find themselves handling greater loads. It is therefore not surprising that the back begins to make itself felt at this stage of life.
Back pain often originates far from the back
This is one of the concepts that most often surprises women when they begin a Pilates journey. They think they have a lower back problem and instead discover that their body has lost stability elsewhere. Very often the cause is a combination of factors: reduced mobility of the hips, less reactive deep abdomen, inefficient breathing or a posture that has become increasingly rigid over time.
The brain is programmed to keep the body in balance at all costs. When some structures no longer carry out their work correctly, others intervene to compensate. And among these, the lumbar area she is one of the first candidates. The problem is that compensation works well in the short term, but in the long term it generates overload, voltage And pain.
When the core stops doing its job
In Pilates we often talk about “center” or of “powerhouse”but behind these terms there is a very precise anatomical reality. The center of the body is formed by the interaction between diaphragm, deep abdominal muscles, column multifidus And pelvic floor. In recent years numerous studies have shown how these muscles play a fundamental role in stabilization of the spine. When they work in a coordinated manner, each movement becomes more efficient and the back is less exposed to unnecessary stress. With menopause this coordination may become less effective. Not because the body suddenly stops working, but because some mechanisms lose precision and need to be trained again. This is where Pilates comes in. Not just strengthening muscles, but teaching them to collaborate better.
Why Pilates works so well
Unlike many traditional workouts, Pilates does not focus on a single muscle. Work on connections. Each exercise is designed to improve the dialogue between breathing, posture, mobility And motor control. From a neurological point of view, this is particularly interesting. When we learn a new movement pattern, we’re not just training the body. We are also training the brain. By repeating controlled and precise movements, the nervous system becomes more efficient at coordinating the various parts of the body. Basically, Pilates teaches the body a better strategy. And as movement becomes more efficient, pain often decreases.
Posture is not a position, it is a function
For years we have been told to stand up straight. But the posture it is not a still photograph. It’s something much more dynamic. Good posture is the ability to continually adapt to the demands of the day using as little effort as possible. When this ability is lost, we start to see very common patterns: shoulders closed, head forward, stiff chest, unstable pelvis. All elements that modify the way in which forces are distributed along the spinal column. Pilates works precisely on these connections. It doesn’t impose a perfect position, but helps the body find a position more functional alignment.
The role of breathing: much more important than we think
If I had to indicate an element that almost all women who suffer from back tension have in common, I would probably choose breath. Many breathe quickly and shallowly, predominantly using the upper part of the chest. This limits the movement of the diaphragm and reduces the capacity of the core to carry out its stabilizing function. In Pilates the breath does not simply accompany the movement. He guides him. When we inhale, the diaphragm lowers and creates space inside the rib cage. When we exhale, the deep abdominal muscles and pelvic floor work together to support the spine. It is a refined mechanism, which science today knows much better than in the past. And it’s one of the reasons why many women report a feeling of lightness and greater support after just a few lessons.
And so…
The back pain after age 50 it is not necessarily a sign of inevitable aging. Very often it is the result of a body that has lost some of its best strategies for moving, supporting itself and distributing loads. The good news is that these strategies can be trained. The Pilates it doesn’t promise to erase all pain but it offers something perhaps even more important: the possibility of understanding how your body works and teaching it again to move with balance. Because when the body finds itself stability, mobility And coordinationthe back stops having to do everything by itself. And finally he can go back to doing his job: supporting us, without making himself heard.
Who is Maria Luisa Valente
Maria Luisa Valente And certified personal trainer, Functional Trainer and Fitness Nutritionist, with a solid one specialization in Pilates (Matwork, Reformer and Cadillac). She is the founder of Allyoucanfit and Allyoucanfit Studiotwo studios in Milan created to offer people – and in particular women – a conscious, effective and sustainable approach to movement. In its driving spaces personalized routes that integrate functional training, pilates, strength and postural workwith constant attention to metabolic and hormonal health. With her new column on iODonna she dedicates herself tomenopause training, to help women move through this phase of life with energy, strength and confidence in their bodies.