PILATES was first developed in the 1920s by a German-born physical trainer named Joseph Pilates (1880-1967). He used his method to rehabilitate soldiers returning from war, as well as on dancers. It is now a form of exercise used widely around the world for rehabilitative purposes and general fitness regimes.
Pilates exercises are focused on improving flexibility, strength and body awareness by activating the muscles that support the trunk of the body known as your “core”.
These muscles include:
l Transverse abdominis (deep abdominals)
l Multifidus (deep back muscles)
l Shoulder blade muscles
l Obliques (sides of the abdomen)
l Gluteals (buttock muscles)
l Pelvic floor
l Diaphragm (breathing muscle)
Can Pilates help with back
pain management?
Do you sit at a desk and stare at a computer screen all day? Unfortunately, most people do and they find it very difficult to sit up with correct or even acceptable posture for eight hours at a time. It becomes a vicious cycle. First, you sit for long periods in a way that doesn’t properly support the spine, generally in a hunched-over position.
Over time, these prolonged, static positions cause muscles to shorten and stiffen up the joints, ligaments and vertebral discs in your spine. As a result, you lose strength in your postural muscles by not using them day after day and then you can’t sit up properly even if you wanted to because you’ve lost strength and flexibility. The key elements of Pilates are to restore your core muscle strength as well as spinal alignment, symmetry, mobility and thus improve your posture and ease your pain.
What is the difference between Pilates and ‘Clinical’ Pilates?
Pilates is conducted by a Pilates-trained instructor, whereas Clinical Pilates is prescribed and supervised by a Pilates-trained physiotherapist. The difference is very important because a physiotherapist has an in-depth knowledge of injury, pathology, body function and movement patterns.
Clinical Pilates incorporates well-established Physiotherapy assessments and concepts into the Pilates framework, creating a functional way to train and regain stability with movement. The physiotherapist will assess each person and determine which exercises will be the most effective for each individual. If you suffer from any injury or pain, Clinical Pilates will be prescribed in a way to allow you to exercise without irritating your problem, provide pain relief and aid in the progressive, safe return to everyday stresses of life as well as return to work or return to sport.
In practice we have found the resolution of a number pain and injury problems to be more long lasting and effective via a Clinical Pilates programme than outpatient physiotherapy. We believe this is due to prescribed exercises and movement patterns being performed better under supervision in a progressive manner over a number of weeks. Often patients when seeing a physiotherapist on an outpatient basis will be shown exercises, however they are often not remembered accurately or performed well and will be discontinued as soon as symptoms seem resolving rather than seen through until the point where the causative problem has been fixed. This can lead to recurrences of the same injury.
What can be treated effectively by Clinical Pilates?
l Back Pain (Disc Injury, Postural Pain, Surgical Rehabilitation)
l Neck Pain
l Shoulder and Hip Injuries and Instability
l Ante and Post Natal Pain Relief and Stability
l Sport Rehabilitation particularly of recurrent injuries
l Hypermobility
l Chronic Pain
l Arthritic Pain
l Movement Disorders
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