Low-back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability in the United States, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Odds are, you’re among the sufferers of this pervasive, chronic and painful health condition — and you’re always looking for better ways to find relief without taking pain medication [1] all the time.

One method worth trying? Pilates [2].

Recent research supports what many Pilates experts [3] and aficionados have been saying for decades: That doing Pilates [3] is not only great for sculpting a strong, lean body — but also for preventing and treating low-back pain [4].

According to a small, randomized, controlled study published in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, participants who practiced Pilates over a four-week period experienced more relief from their symptoms than those who went through typical treatment programs.

In light of the growing popularity of Pilates in therapeutic settings [5], researchers from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, decided to test whether Pilates exercises [6] were effective in improving the condition of patients.

The investigators randomly assigned 39 active adults ages 20–55 with chronic low-back pain to either a Pilates training group or a control group. The experimental group exercised on Pilates equipment [7], while the control group received the usual care provided to individuals seeking medical help for low-back pain. (“Usual care” included consulting with a physician and other healthcare professionals and specialists.)

Post-testing revealed that the Pilates participants had significantly lower levels of functional disability [8] and pain intensity than the control subjects. And a year later, the Pilates participants had maintained their physical improvements.

Republished courtesy of Inner IDEA [9] and Gaiam Life [10]