Pilates and Hair washing
Pilates and hair washing
To wash our own hair (in a typical fashion such as when taking a shower), requires a certain level of mobility in our elbow and shoulder joints as well as the strength and stability in our shoulders to support our hands above and behind our head for the time it takes to wash and rinse out our hair.
During a typical warmup in my Pilates classes, we’ll often use big general arm movements to get the body moving and the blood flowing but also to gently mobilise our shoulder joints. Later in the class we might do a move whilst lying on our back, involving lifting an arm overhead while maintaining our neutral spine position. This primarily works to challenge our core muscles, but as a secondary benefit also works on our shoulder range of motion.
An exercise that improves shoulder stability as well as challenging our shoulder mobility is all fours swimming, or superman. During this move, the body weight is taken on one hand and the opposite knee whilst the other arm and leg lift up and away from the body, keeping the spine and pelvis in neutral. This challenges the stability of the arm taking the weight and also the stability of the pelvis and hip. It provides an excellent opportunity for weight-bearing through the wrist and upper limb, which may help to support and promote bone strength in the arm. The mobility of the moving arm is also being challenged as it lifts up in front, without hunching of the shoulder towards the ear. As always, each move is carried out with good form, and within a comfortable range for each person, closely monitored and corrected as required.
This exercise can be modified to add various options of movement for both the arm and the leg which can further challenge the strength and range of movement in different directions. This can include movements out to the side or involve shoulder rotation movements.
We also work on our shoulder mobility and strength in our shoulder rotator muscles when we perform the dumbwaiter exercise. During dumbwaiter the elbows are bent and kept close to the waist while the hands move outwards to the sides, palms facing upwards, maintaining a 90° bend in the elbows. When we add a resistance band to this movement, we add extra strength work to these rotator muscles. This outward rotation of the shoulders is important when attempting to reach the back of our head with our hands, as required for independent hair-washing.
These exercises, and many others that I teach, could help us maintain the shoulder joint range and muscle strength required not just for hair washing, but also for other activities of daily life such as: reaching for objects from a high cupboard or shelf; putting on a seatbelt in the car; getting dressed; gardening; or car washing.
If you're finding that your shoulders are becoming stiffer or weaker and that certain activities such as those listed above are becoming more of a challenge, feel free to get in touch. Simply drop me an email and book into a regular weekly Pilates class at Hook Community Centre or Elizabeth Hall Hook. The new term begins on Wednesday 11th of June so why not contact me today to book your place for the new term. Full class details are available on my website. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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This article is for interest and information only and is neither advice nor instruction - join my classes to have full instruction in these and many other exercises that promote independence in our activities of daily life.