Dr Mel Siff Blog

PILATES MYTHS

Another great article by Mel Siff, from his Supertraining List at YahooGroups.

Now that the Pilates system of training has undergone a huge rebirth in the
USA and started to attain the status of culthood, its latter day
practitioners are now reviving some of the myths of strength training. Here
are a few that are now doing the rounds, taken directly from the advertising
copy that is promoting Pilates in the media:

MYTH 1.

Weight training tends to shorten the muscles, but Pilates lengthens them. All
that lifting bunches up the muscles and makes one tight and stiff.

FACT:

All muscles contract and shorten when they are activated. All muscle lengthen
when they relax. If muscles appear to lengthen and flatten with training,
then this would imply that one is losing muscle bulk, which is not a highly
desirable state for anyone. This Pilates belief is total nonsense and betrays
a sorry knowledge of muscle physiology. It would also seem to suggest that
the more Pilates work you do, the longer your muscles become. That, of
course, would mean that your muscles would develop slack and you even tually
would not be able to move your joints!

MYTH 2.

Pilates offers much more variety than weight training. It now has over 2000
exercises.

FACT:

The field of weight training, which includes free barbell and dumbbell
weights and machines, offers at least ten times that number of exercises and
exercise variations. Pilates does not even come close.

Pilates practitioners, of course, should note that the well-known Pilates
machine, the Reformer (a type of lying sled device), the Cadillac, the Spine
Corrector and various other machines were developed by Joseph Pilates from a
host of earlier weird and wonderful machines that were on the fitness and
gymnastics market of Europe and Russia during the late 19th and early 20th
century. If one examines some early patents from Germany, for example, even
some weight training devices like some made by Nautilus were derived from
these earlier innovations.

One might even state that “Pilates training” constitutes just another man’s
own range of strength training routines and machines, someone like Arthur
Jones, Bob Hoffman, Eugene Sandow, Professor Attila or Joe Weider. Those who
are “doing Pilates” thus are simply doing another type of strength training
program and they don’t even recognise that fact. If any of their instructors
think that old Joe Pilates had a totally unique approach or philosophy, then
they would do well to learn that several of the strengthening trend setters
of the past 100 years all had some fascinating philosophies and methodologies
that are not dramatically different from that of Pilates. Reading through a
book such as Webster’s “The Iron Game” or talking to Dr Terry Todd and his
wife will fill in some of the gaps in their education if anyone is unaware of
that fact.

MYTH 3.

Pilates realigns the body, corrects muscle imbalances and helps to heal
injured backs. Weight training usually causes imbalances and overstresses the
back.

FACT:

Suitably individualised Pilates and progressive weight training programs both
can be used to “correct imbalances” and improve postural alignment, which
actually have a lot more to do with motor education than what means is used
to achieve those ends. Conversely, poorly taught Pilates and weight training
both can be injurious. There are very few other methods that can develop such
great spinal strength, power and stability under loading as a well-designed
heavy weight training program.

The bottom line? Why don’t modern Pilates teachers and enthusiasts simply
state that they really prefer Pilates training to any other methods at the
moment and that other forms of training may well be more enjoyable and
productive for others? There is no scientific or clinical evidence that
Pilates is any better or worse than any other form of training for the
average population, so let it be marketed as such.

Of course, anyone who is a student of international sport knows that Pilates
training done as the sole form of conditioning has produced very few or none
of the world champions in sport, nor has it been shown to offer superior
musculoskeletal healing to any other form of therapy. That does not make it
any the less enjoyable or effective for those who feel justified in spending
thousands of dollars a year to learn it. Those people simply enjoy it because
they have found that it suits them, nothing more, nothing less.

Fortunately, when I was being taught Pilates methods more than 15 years ago
by some Pilates teachers in return for my teaching them modified forms of PNF
training which Pilates did not specifically address, we discovered that we
all had something to teach and learn from one another’s training — though we
agreed that Pilates methods of pelvic stabilisation were not intended for
lifting heavy loads in weightlifting and powerlifting. Once again, a case of
live and let live! Pilates teachers and weight trainers were getting along
just fine until the commercial marketeers came along to distort the facts
with their comparative advertising.

Dr Mel Siff

The concept of mysofascial and trigger point therapy is quite popular with
various therapists and some athletes seem to believ that it is only
chiropractors who offer these soft tissue methods.

Most physical therapists are also able to apply trigger point therapy and
myofascial release methods as well, since these methods are taught to them at
medical or physiotherapy school. In fact, these methods were pioneered by a
remarkable medical practitioner, Dr Janet Travell, who died at the age of 95
only a few years ago. Much of her innovative work appear in her own books or
in others written in collaboration with Dr David Simons, another MD. Here is
a web tribute to Dr Travell:

http://www.aapainmanage.org/aapm/travell.html

BOOKS ON TRIGGER POINT & MYOFASCIAL THERAPY

Here are the books that have established trigger point and myofascial therapy
as effective and valuable approaches to pain management and certain other
problems:

David G Simons, Janet G Travell & Lois S Simons. Myofascial Pain and
Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual Vol 1, 2nd Edition

JG Travell MD & DG Simons MD Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger
Point Manual Volume II – The Lower Body, Williams & Wilkins, 1983, Vol. II,
1998.

Janet Travell & Seymour Rinzler “The Myofascial Genesis of Pain”
DG Simons “Myofascial Trigger Points: A Need for Understanding”
J Travell “Myofascial Trigger Points: Clinical View”
J Travell “Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction”
D Simons “Myofascial Pain Syndrome Due to Trigger Points”

There is a huge amount of information on the use of myofascial therapy
methods in the treatment of fibromyalgia, for which I can post further
information, if anyone is interested.

SELF TREATMENT

In fact, with a little practice at palpating and pressing very firmly in a
progressively fashion with small increments along the length of the relevant
muscle, you will soon become able to identify “trigger points” (which have
been known in the East for millenia, by the way) and treat them quite
competently. Like any form of deep massage, one never exerts intense
pressure over any areas that are inflamed, swollen, bleeding, bruised or have
recently been fractured or exposed to surgery, or may exhibit tumours,
varicosities or other significant medical conditions.

In a short time, you or your partner should be able to develop the necessary
skills to be able to deal with most of your normal training aches and pains -
and you will save a fortune in the process. Of course, like any other
physical problems, there are times when medical or other therapeutic
attention may be necessary, but this is one case where you can do a great
deal on your own. When in doubt, of course, obtain a genuine medical opinion
from some professional such as an orthopaedist.

In fact, this is exactly what Bonnie Prudden did when she slightly modified
Dr Travell’s work and created what she called “Myotherapy”.

Others might like to share their information on and experience with these
forms of soft tissue therapy.

Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA