Got Back Pain? Here’s How San Francisco Gets Relief (Hint: Redcord)

As one of the most common medical problems, back pain affects approximately 16 million people—that’s 8% of adults—and is the 6th most costly condition in the U.S. This condition is especially prevalent in the Bay Area, with its large cohort of knowledge workers, coding or typing away for hours on the tech we all, literally, lean into every day. But the problem is worldwide.

Along with back pain, there’s the experience of tech neck, of which 1 of 10 people suffer due to poor posture often brought on by 1. Sitting too long in front of laptops and other tech in unfavorable positions or 2. looking down on cell phones for extended periods of time, throughout the day. Most people habitually do both.

Redcord treats the problem, not the symptoms

There’s a solution you may not have heard of, and it’s not new—it’s practiced worldwide. It’s called Redcord, a physical therapy modality that’s been practiced in Europe for over 25 years, but is relatively unknown in the U.S.

Some of today’s most common ailments include

  • sciatica 

  • low back pain 

  • Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (SI Joint Pain)

  • knee pain 

  • postural lack of alignment

  • tech neck 

And usually involve the following:

  • MRI scans

  • drugs

  • expensive testing

  • steroid injections

  • perpetual chiropractic care 

And while most of these methods may provide temporary relief, none of them focus on reversing the repetitive stress injury that is most often the cause. That reversal is exactly what Redcord focuses on, providing relief, while strengthening and toning the body to prevent further injury, disability, and pain.

How does Redcord work?

Redcord does more than treat injuries. Redcord is a flexible, pain-free training tool that uses your own bodyweight to build strength, improve coordination and athletic performance, prevent injury, and treat musculoskeletal disorders.

One thing Redcord does best is enable rehabilitative exercise to relieve pain. Working with a licensed Redcord practitioner, you are led in performing stabilizing, strengthening, and stretching exercises on strong ropes, using your own bodyweight as resistance. The unstable ropes force the entire body to stabilize, as you can’t recruit other muscles and body parts to help!

Example? The average plank. Performing a plank requires the use of virtually every part of your body to be done effectively. Cheating on a plank allows you to be off center in supporting the body. When performed with Redcord, you’re forced to use deep trunk, or core, muscles.

When you return to a stable surface, the same exercise may feel much easier and more balanced. The results are immediately felt. Redcord together with Pilates is great for people recovering from injuries, active weekend warriors, and pro athletes alike: no matter what your age or fitness level.

Alone or combined with pilates, it’s a powerful workout. Check out this video to see it in action.

Who can benefit from Redcord?

Anyone suffering from pain brought on by repetitive use can strongly benefit. But at Rebalanced SF here in the Bay Area, we tend to see a lot of following as clients.

Silicon valley professionals

Spending long hours in front of their computer screens, tech workers come regularly to work on their postural muscles. They often suffer from low back pain, sciatica and tech neck.

Workers in ad agencies, executives, and competitive fields

This cohort is often managing demanding schedules. And, especially in the age of Covid, many are working from home offices, where they may be sitting for an average of 6.5 hours a day

They come to sessions keen to undo stress, tech neck, low back pain and sciatica. We strengthen and lengthen to make sure they can keep healthy and strong in their fast-paced, competitive world.

Active adults over 50 

These clients often need to juggle running a business with prolonged work-related travel and other specialized professional skills like playing an instrument, as one example. Holding an instrument can take its toll on the back, so these individuals may require exercises to strengthen the spine. For these clients, we often work on core strength, tight hips, and posture.

New mothers, seeking rebalance after having a baby

Always requiring a flexible schedule and often dealing with unique challenges, each day may feel different for new moms. They usually require different stretches and strengthening exercises, using both Redcord and the Pilates reformer, to rehab and regain their balance, core stabilization and strength. We offer various modalities to address their daily needs.

Take a step towards relief TODAY

If you don’t live in the Bay Area, but would like to learn more or work with a practitioner, click this link to find a licensed Redcord practitioner near you.

Live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Whether you’re suffering from pain brought on by repetitive use, would like to counteract imbalances in your body, or would simply like to up your game for sports and general fitness, I can help. As the only Redcord trainer in Northern California, I’m looking forward to sharing this medically proven suspension exercise system with you. Check us out right here: RebalancedSF

Bay Area Tech Workers: Pilates Can Cure Your Tech Neck

Pilates is a powerful mind-body exercise that’s been around for almost 100 years. And with its long history, it’s easy to make assumptions about the type of people you’ll find taking a class. But if you’re a knowledge worker, sitting for hours a day writing code or creating content, you should strongly consider becoming one of them. 

And, just as 76 percent of the tech industry is made up of men in Silicon Valley, very few of them realize that Pilates can help solve their issues with sciatica, low back pain, knee pain, body mis-alignment, tech neck, and tight hips

This article is about how all knowledge workers, spending 5-12 hours a day sitting at a desk and looking at screens, can experience the problems listed above. But statistically speaking, the majority of the people suffering from these problems in the tech industry are male. Not considering pilates to alleviate these crippling issues is a big mistake. 

Pilates is an efficient, whole-body exercise method that tackles the problem, not just the symptoms. But it also builds overall body strength, lowers stress, and can fortify any other modes of exercise you engage in.

Pilates is a smart move for people in pain (and there are studies to prove it)

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, low back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability in the U.S. And along with back pain, there’s the experience of tech neck, of which 1 of 10 people suffer due to poor posture, often brought on by 1. Sitting too long in front of laptops and other tech in unfavorable positions or 2. looking down on cell phones for extended periods of time, throughout the day. Most people habitually do both. 

Peer-reviewed research supports what the creator of the method, Joseph Pilates (a professional boxer at one time) first postulated in the 1920s: Pilates is not only great for sculpting a strong, lean body, but also effective in preventing and treating low back pain.

Cases in Point

The following cases are republished courtesy of the Inner IDEA.

In a 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 treated via typical programs.

Another study from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, decided to test whether Pilates exercises 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, 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 and pain intensity than the control subjects. And a year later, the Pilates participants had maintained their physical improvements.

Take a step towards relief TODAY

If you don’t live in the Bay Area, but would like to work with a teacher or find a class, search for a certified pilates teacher here.

In the San Francisco Bay Area? Whether you’re suffering from pain brought on by repetitive use, would like to counteract imbalances in your body, or would simply like to up your game for sports and general fitness, I can help. I offer personalized pilates instruction, and am also a licensed Redcord practitioner. Check us out right here: RebalancedSF

Love TRX but Suffering Back Pain? Try Redcord Instead

The TRX System can be an amazing workout. It helps with core stabilization, can build lean muscle, and increase functional strength. However, if you’re suffering from issues with sciatica, low back pain, knee pain, body mis-alignment, tech neck, or tight hips, it may not be the best modality for you while they persist. Using TRX could make these issues worse—if you don't work to resolve them. 

Developed by a former Navy SEAL, TRX focuses on building strength, but has been criticized by analysts who believe that the instability of suspension straps could possibly result in injury, especially for those with a history of joint or back injuries, or inadequate core strength

Enter Redcord

If you enjoy doing TRX and/or Pilates, there’s another modality you may like even more, as it combines elements of both while helping you recover from injuries

And, while you’ve probably never heard of it, it’s far from new and is practiced worldwide. It’s called Redcord, a physical therapy modality that’s been practiced in Europe for over 25 years, has moved into Asian and Latin America, but is relatively unknown in the U.S.

As you’re reading this article, we’re assuming you may be suffering from one of today’s most common ailments: 

  • sciatica 

  • low back pain 

  • Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (SI Joint Pain)

  • knee pain 

  • postural lack of alignment

  • tech neck 

Redcord can address all of these issues, while TRX—still a great workout method—may aggravate them. But Redcord does more than just treat injuries. It’s a flexible, pain-free training tool that uses your own bodyweight to build strength, improve coordination and athletic performance, prevent injury, and treat musculoskeletal disorders.

Essentially, Redcord uses rehabilitative exercise to relieve pain. Working with a licensed Redcord practitioner, you are led in performing stabilizing, strengthening and stretching exercises on red ropes, using your own bodyweight as resistance

TRX versus Redcord

As popular as TRX is, not everyone is aware of the pros and cons of the modality. And few Americans have heard of Redcord, so let’s step through the basics of each practice. 

How TRX works

As TRX users know, the system uses two yellow straps attached to a single anchor, usually on the ceiling or a secure bar. In a class, or one-on-one, participants lean away from the center point of the straps, forcing themselves to balance, working their core and activating associated muscles. It’s an effective workout that builds strength and gets your heart beating, all using your own bodyweight.

How Redcord works

Redcord also uses straps, but includes multi-point suspension through the use of slings and bungee cords. This allows for an even greater range of motion than TRX. Working with a licensed Redcord practitioner, you are led to perform stabilizing, strengthening, and stretching exercises on the red ropes, using your own bodyweight as resistance. By using multiple points of suspension, you can isolate the working muscles without incurring strain elsewhere on the body. It facilitates proper body alignment and efficient movement patterns, making each exercise painless, safe, and possible for everyone. 

Unlike the TRX System—developed for fitness—Redcord was originally designed as a form of physical therapy to help with injuries. Now it’s also being used by athletes and everyday people for rehabilitation and fitness. 

If your problem is pain, Redcord may be a better choice

In our practice in San Francisco we provide Redcord and Pilates as therapy and/or workout sessions. Once again, one of the main differences between Redcord and TRX is that Redcord allows us to work with every restriction a client might have. In fact, Redcord has many advantages over other systems. 

Here are some of the key benefits:

  • Redcord has multiple suspension points, about 60 centimeters apart. This enables you to reproduce the same axis of rotation as your body. What’s the advantage? While doing a standard push-up, the parallel ropes make the exercise more natural, and prevents strain on other parts of the body

  • TRX uses a single point of suspension. This means you are constantly working at an angle, which limits what you can do. The Y-shaped sling has a single fulcrum suspension point above it. Meanwhile, Redcord has two independent ropes shoulder-width apart: this mimics natural postural alignment.

  • The almost unlimited amounts of progressions and positions make Redcord ideal for every body. By changing positions according to the equipment, adjusting the height and adjusting the lever arm, a practitioner can adjust the intensity to suit your needs and avoid further injury.

If you've been wanting to recover from an injury, sciatica, low back pain, knee pain, tech neck, challenge your core, or work on your posture, Redcord is for you. It’s a unique, safe, and effective suspension-based system that gets results, regardless of age, ambition, or skill.

Take a step towards relief TODAY

If you don’t live in the Bay Area, but would like to learn more or work with a practitioner, click this link to find a licensed Redcord practitioner near you.

Live in the San Francisco Bay Area? I combine Redcord suspension training backed by over 20 years of medically proven results with Pilates to help you recover from injury, live a pain-free life, and even get you back to TRX with a stronger core. As the only Redcord trainer in Northern California, I’m looking forward to sharing this medically proven suspension exercise system with you. Check us out right here: RebalancedSF