I have spinal 'wear and tear' issues at C5/C6 and C6/C7, this manifests itself as neck pain but even more so as arm and shoulder pain with (in the past) numbness going down the arm. My MRI indicated I have narrowing of the nerve canals in places. However, the symptoms are much improved since I started doing pilates and  bone health classes. I'm sure strengthening my arm muscles is vital to this improvement as well as gently exercising my neck/shoulders. Vital also has been the awareness of neck position that pilates has given me.

Mary M.