Pilates - crunching sounds in body

[UnbearableLoss]

I'm trying pilates at home and it's reminding me why I give up exercise that isn't running. What are all the crunchy sounds when I'm moving, I think it's my muscles?? If anyone recognizes this, will it stop after a while? It goes through me and stops my focus but I really want to enjoy this!

Hmm. Without being a medical professional then I could be wrong. All I know is that I had clicky knees when I did squats in a home workout. It turned out this was symptomatic of major glute, abs and ankle weakness (my muscles weren’t supporting my joints properly so they were clicking).

I had to rest and do physio to sort it out before I could do the home workouts without injuring myself further. Private physio assessment is only £30-£50 per hour. If you had an assessment, maybe this would put your mind at rest and sort the issues out? I appreciate I’m financially privileged there. The NHS won’t give you physio unless your leg is hanging by a thread in my experience so private will likely be your only way to get checked.

It could also be crepitus; where air is trapped in your joints and there are clicks when you move. That’s totally harmless and needs no treatment. In any case, well done for exercising! You can totally do this, you just might need a check up first.

1. See a physiotherapist

1. Start stretching. Do at least 5-10 minutes of stretches before your workout. And again at the end - very important. Lots of suggestions for suitable stretches on YouTube, but be guided by your physiotherapist.

Would you be able to go to a few classes? The teacher would likely be able to help or reassure you. Failing that some physio?

Have you had a 1:1 with a Pilates instructor before you started at home?

I agree a class with a good instructor (you don’t need to pay for a 1-1 unless you want to) is incredibly helpful to ground you in the basics. It’s so important to have good form, which is impossible to achieve as a beginner at home.

I've never been aware of 'crunchy' sounds... sometimes an occasional joint 'clunk'.

I agree it'd be a good idea for you to do some classes with an instructor.

I'm trying the NHS beginner classes on Youtube. It could be tightness or it could be something else - I definitely experienced similar with the Gillian Michaels workout a few years ago.

Local instructors charge over £10 a class which I can't justify for once per week so I was hoping I could do this daily. I'm quite sure there's a waiting list too.