Pilates and Lyme Disease Creating a new body and finding a new passion for life using the Pilates method Brieze Lafferty April 25, 2014 Spring 2014 Balance Point Pilates, Davis CA. 1
Abstract
Those who suffer with Lyme Disease are generally overwhelmed with feelings of
anxiety, fatigue, inflammation and overall helplessness. They are plagued by countless symptoms which mimic a handful of other diseases including Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, Arthritis and Ataxia to name a few.i When they cannot even count on the medical field to support them in their fight against lyme, what can they turn to? This is perhaps the question of all questions. Though there is not a clear, proven, cure for all cases of Lyme, there are several measures that one can take to become proactive in their fight against the debilitating disease. This case study will summarize the research of how a specially designed Pilates program can alleviate many symptoms experienced by lyme disease sufferers-‐ specifically tackling the issue of deep tissue inflammation. The research will chronicle a 22 year old female who suffers with chronic lyme disease. The results will summarize the positive changes she saw in her body and life in general during and after 30 sessions of Pilates training. 2
Table of Contents Title Page……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2 Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Anatomical Description of Symptoms………………………………………………………………………………….…….4 Case Study………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..5 Case Study cont. and Anna’s Rehabilitation Program………….……………………………………………………..6 Anna’s Rehabilitation Program cont…………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Observation and Results…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………9 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
3
Anatomical Description of Symptoms Lyme disease batherium (g. Borrelia burgdorferi)ii is transmitted to humans through tick bites, more specifically, from the deer tick. If not caught and treated immediately, lyme disease can go undetected for years-‐ even decades before the victim experiences any symptoms at all. Once detected however, it is extremely difficult to diagnose and then treat. This is due in part to the fact that it is not recognized by the greater medical world as a disease at all. It is very commonly misdiagnosed, and in turn, incorrectly treated; resulting in frustration, increasing symptoms, new symptoms, and failure to recover Figure 1.iii among those who suffer with it. Though there are many symptoms that accompany lyme disease, the primary focus of this research will be deep-‐tissue inflammation which inhibits one from performing a variety of everyday tasks. Problems which stem from highly inflamed body tissues include and are not limited to: slow digestion, brain “fog”, lethargy, fatigue, muscle weakness, congested blood flow, poor circulation, weight gain, arthritis, and overall bodily discomfort. Many lyme disease sufferers who are prescribed long term antibiotics as part of their treatment, experience even more acute inflammation-‐ especially around the midsection. A few common complaints from these individuals are: feeling as though they are living inside a “shell” they are not able to control, loss of muscle tone, weight gain, loss of sense of self (mind-‐ body connection). 4
Case Study Anna is a 22 year old female who was diagnosed with chronic lyme disease three years ago. Doctors believe that she has been living with the disease since she was about 10 years old, therefore the disease is very deep into all of her bodily tissues. She has been on high doses of long term antibiotics since her diagnosis. Anna’s once positive outlook and active lifestyle has now turned into a monotonous day-‐to-‐day survival pattern with very little hope of ever getting well. Anna suffers from acute inflammation, poor circulation, congested blood, severe fatigue, weight gain, and depression stemming from her inability to lead an active lifestyle. Though Anna used to do many types of exercise, the last three years have not been conducive to her remaining active. She has never done Pilates before but is open to trying it due to the “quality over quantity” nature of the practice. Her limitations include her lack of energy, loss of muscle mass especially in her abdomen, loss of “center” and ability of stabilize herself, sometimes stiff joints, and all-‐over body inflammation. The conditioning program for Anna is designed to help her become mobile again, regain her energy, muscle tone, balance, circulation, and reinstate her positive outlook on life. The first and foremost goal in Anna’s Pilates practice is to strengthen her abdominal muscles, specifically her transverse abdominus.iv The transverse abdominus is particularly difficult to target, but when it is effectively strengthened, the results are a domino effect of success. The secondary goal for Anna is to get her circulation working more efficiently. This will be achieved by doing many repetitions at a semi-‐light weight. The third goal in her conditioning system will be to aid in weight loss by adding some cardiovascular exercise in the form of the jump board.
5
During the first ten sessions, Anna will work solely on the reformer. The reformer is the correct apparatus for her to start on because it provides stabilization in the form of the carriage, and a broad spectrum of resistance possibilities as she gets stronger. Moving into sessions 11-‐20, Anna will have gained enough strength and mobility so that she can begin work on the Cadillac and Wunda chair. At this point, her abdominals will be conditioned enough so that she can perform leg and arm work with independent springs. In sessions 21-‐30, Anna’s workout will come to include work on the spring board during every session as well as some mat work for side lying legs. At this point, hopefully her inflammation will have gone down enough so that she can really feel “in her body”, and confident in her abilities to lead a more energized, active lifestyle.
Anna’s Program Figure 2v Sessions: Warm Up
Foot Work
**Begin and end each session with two roll downs** 1-‐10
11-‐20
21-‐30
Mat: pelvic curl, spine
Mat: Roll up, Spine twist
Cadillac: Warm Up series-‐
twist supine, chest lift,
supine, double leg stretch, Roll up with roll up bar,
chest lift with rotation.
singe leg stretch, criss-‐
mini roll ups, mini roll ups
cross.
oblique, roll up top loaded
Reformer: Parallel heels,
Cadillac: Parallel heels,
Chair: Parallel heels,
parallel toes, v-‐position
parallel toes, v-‐position
parallel toes, v-‐position
toes, wide-‐v heels, wide-‐v
toes, wide-‐v heels, wide-‐v
toes, wide-‐v heels, wide-‐v
toes, calf raises, prances.
toes, calf raises, prances.
toes, calf raises. Single leg
Single leg heel, single leg
Single leg heel, single leg
heel, single leg toes.
toes.
toes.
6
Abdominal Work
Reformer: Hundred prep,
Chair: Standing pike,
Chair: Cat stretch
Hundred. *at session 5,
standing pike reverse.
Kneeling, Pike sitting.
Reformer: Frog, down
Cadillac: Frog, Circles
Cadillac: Frog single leg,
circles, up circles,
down, circles up, walking.
circles down/up single leg,
add coordination.
Hip Work
openings.
Spinal Articulation
None
hip extension single leg. Cadillac: Monkey original
Cadillac: sessions 21-‐25: Tower prep. Sessions 26-‐ 30: Tower.
Stretches
Reformer: Standing lunge.
Cadillac: shoulder stretch
Ladder Barrel: Gluteals, Hamstrings
Caillac: Thigh stretch with
Cadillac: Kneeling Cat
roll up bar
Stretch
Reformer: Arms Supine
Cadillac: Arms standing
Cadillac: Shoulder
Series.
series.
adduction single and
Full Body Int. I
Arm Work
None
double arm.
Full Body Int. II
None
None
Reformer: Balance control Front
Leg Work
Magic Circle: Sitting series
Lateral Flex/Rotation Reformer: Mermaid
Chair: Hamstring curl, hip
Reformer: Jumping series
opener.
Mat: Side lying legs
Chair: Side stretch
Reformer: Side Over on Box
Back Extension
Reformer: Breaststroke
Chair: Swan Basic
Prep.
Reformer: Pulling straps I & Pulling Straps II
7
Observation and Results During the first ten sessions, Anna did all of her work on the reformer. She tired easily, but said that it felt invigorating to be able to move her body and get a workout while being stabilized on the carriage. After she honed the choreography of the motions, she added the correct breath sequencing. By her fifth session, she was moving harmoniously, syncing her breath and movement. She commented that she already had more energy and enjoyed the “Pilates buzz” that flowed through her body after each workout. Sessions eleven through twenty proved to be slightly more difficult, as she had to learn to stabilize herself while working on the chair and Cadillac. She noticed that they worked different muscles than the reformer. She said that she had a deeper soreness after her sessions and felt like she was finally tapping into her transverse abdominis. She said that she felt her circulation, digestion, and intestinal health was improving as well. She looked thinner, had more stamina, and looked more alive and vibrant. By sessions twenty one through thirty, Anna had successfully gotten rid of almost all of her inflammation in her midsection, an could no longer wear the rings on her fingers that had once been snug—they fell off now! By session 25, Anna had even taken up running-‐ which she had not been able to do since she was a child. She remarked that nearly everything in her life was going better. She felt better, looked better, and was able to do activities that she was not able to do before. She had energy that she had never felt before and was able to get through her days without a nap, and was sleeping soundly at night.
8
The topic of this paper was chosen from the sheer lack of information available about alternative lyme disease treatments. More specifically, the lack of information linking Pilates to helping those who suffer from lyme disease achieve a stronger body through the reduction of deep tissue inflammation. The results can be life changing. First the client starts to feel the changes, then they start to see them. After 30 sessions of a carefully planned and executed training program, one might say that their body, as well as their outlook on life has been completely reshaped.
Conclusion Though Pilates is not a cure per say for Lyme Disease, it is an invaluable resource for those looking to bolster their immune system, reduce inflammation, and regain the most active lifestyle possible. In Anna’s case, she used it as both a stepping stone and a building block to getting her health back. Though she still suffers from the disease, her quality of life is far improved. Through tightening and toning the deep muscles such as the transverse abdominis, Pilates was able to reduce the inflammation from the inside, out. Once the inflammation was brought down, circulation was able to improve as well as digestion. After those body functions were brought back to health, the immune system was strengthened and energy returned. Once the individual starts to feel better, their once bleak outlook on life can change completely. The Pilates method supplies tangible results-‐ and the results are astounding. For those looking to stay active and “in their body” even while suffering from the debilitating illness of Lyme, Pilates-‐ specifically using the BASI block system is an excellent option. 9
Bibliography i
American Lyme Disease Foundation. http://www.aldf.com/lyme.shtml Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ iii Know Lyme. http://knowlyme.com/symptoms/ iv Clippinger, Karen and Isacowitz, Rael. Pilates Anatomy. 2011. Page 15. v Isacowitz, Rael. Body Arts and Science International Reformer, Wunda Chair/Ladder Barrel, Cadillac, Mat Movement Analysis Workbook. ii
10
