Pilates for rehabilitation of hyper-mobile joints and hyper flexibility, looking at you yogis!
This misunderstood mindful movement practice is the one I always return to time and again whenever I need to rehab my body.
I’m trained in Pilates reformer and mat ~ it was the best thing that ever happened to me at one point when only practicing yoga for many years began to pressure my already lax joints!
I’m hyper mobile which means my joints move beyond normal rotation and this can create weakness and imbalance in the body which over time can lead to serious complications such as hip replacements.
For hyper mobile people feeling the body is often difficult so we tend to flop around a lot and think it’s really cool we can uh COLLAPSE into all of those cool yoga poses. I see collapsed bodies a lot in yoga studios and I see teachers applauding them.
There is a huge difference between mindfully landing in a pose and collapsing into it.
Some tips for my hyper mobile friends:
Stop the glorification of hyper flexibility!
Rehab your body with Pilates and learn to stabilize your body.
Work into a strength training program via Pilates starting with resistance bands and light weights.
Locking out and pressuring your joints in yoga classes is not good until you understand how to recruit other muscles around the joint for support.
Strengthen pelvic floor and transverse abdominal wall muscles.
Practice bilateral movements to address weaknesses and imbalance. Reduce your yoga or flexibility practice to max twice a week.
Eat a high protein diet.
Understand that building your body will take a bit longer than your non hyper mobile friends but this doesn’t mean you’re weak!
In fact your strength will be amazing in some areas and confound you in others. This is largely a stability issue and will improve over time.
When you strengthen your body you will be the perfect mix of a strong and flexible body capable of much!
You can be hyper mobile and not flexible and you can have either of these things and still feel tight in your body. They’re not mutually exclusive.
If you’re struggling with a hyper-mobile body get in touch for a strength training program that will help you develop a stronger body well into old age. Protecting your joints and your bone density is paramount to navigating a healthier and happier life.
