If hernias are caused by a muscle weakness in the abdomen which the intestines slip through, and if pilates are designed to strengthen those same muscles, have any scientific studies been done on the rates of hernia development on people who do pilates and other core strengthening exercises vs. those who do not? If so, have those studies found a preventative effect?
Barring traumatic hernias in which the abdominal cavity is torn open, the vast majority of ‘hernias’ occur in the tendinous portions of the abdominal wall rather than the muscular portions, particularly in places where something else already passes through the abdominal wall. Exercise can strengthen the muscles but does not strengthen these tendinous areas.