CLINICAL PILATES
Going hand in hand with our Rehabilitation is Clinical Pilates. Clinical Pilates uses the central part of your system, the abdominals, the deep back muscles, the diaphragm and your pelvic floor to give you strength so that you can support your body and move well.
This is going to surprise you, but we don’t work on mats. There is no mat Pilates here. We use clinical equipment such as reformers and other equipment for low to high level instruction. Our Physiotherapists and Clinical Pilates Instructors can see you one to one or in small classes, so that we can see how your body is moving.
There are no huge classes here because we want to make sure we can give you the support you need individually.
The biggest mistake people make with this? Not actually using the core properly.
Did you know that if you have pain in the back, some muscles can become inhibited? Some people are more dominant in their back muscles than their abdominals. All of this can be gradually changed with Clinical Pilates.
General Benefits of Clinical Pilates
- Improved postural awareness and flexibility
- Improved core stability of the trunk, shoulder and pelvis
- Decreased recurrence and incidence of back pain
- Improved sporting performance and injury prevention
- Ability to identify and rectify underlying movement dysfunctions that lead to injuries
- Firmer and more toned stomach and body muscles
- Improved breathing control
- Safe and effective way of exercising during pregnancy to minimise pressure on the spine
- Based on scientific research
History of Pilates
Pilates is a system of exercises that was originally developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1920’s. Joseph Pilates was born in Germany and grew into a fitness enthusiast who enjoyed boxing, diving and gymnastics.
When World War I broke out he worked in the Isle of Man, where he first began to use his fitness knowledge to help rehabilitate those injured in the war. Joseph Pilates experimented with springs attached to the hospital beds to encourage patients to begin moving at an early stage and strengthening their muscles. This early experimentation with springs and pulleys was what inspired the development of much of the traditional Pilates equipment we use today.
After the war, Joseph Pilates moved to New York with his wife Clara. It was here where he opened his first Pilates studio in 1923. His work spread initially to the west coast of America and then onto London in the mid seventies.
Great interest in research had developed in the early 1990’s which indicated the importance and efficacy of retraining the stability of certain core muscles in managing low back pain. As physiotherapists we began to recognise Pilates as an effective vehicle through which we could apply what we were learning through research into clinical practice. Pilates in its original form has had to be modified and developed to improve its safety and efficacy into what we now term as “Clinical Pilates”.
What is Clinical Pilates ?
There are three basic styles of Pilates which have evolved over the years. Repertory, Modern and Clinical Pilates.
The Repertory style is based on the original teachings of Joseph Pilates and is mainly aimed at the dance population. The Modern style is a modification of the original form but similarly, both these styles have an emphasis on stretching and strengthening with close attention to exercise accuracy and technique. Classes can be both mat or equipment based although the mat based classes tend to be in larger groups with less attention to individual needs..
Research is showing that a different approach to these traditional strengthening programs are required to improve the control and efficiency of the way our deeper core muscles function to stabilise our spine, shoulder and pelvic girdles. The Clinical Pilates repertoire is research based and is focused on improving the quality and control of movements rather than retraining strength and power. Unlike Joseph Pilates who discouraged mindless exercise this is the essence of what we try to achieve with Clinical Pilates. As your core muscle control improves the exercises should become mindless and automatic just like any other motor skill you acquire with practice and improved co-ordination.
The equipment provides an effective way of challenging the efficiency with which the core muscles work, thus enabling them to learn how to improve their control. The equipment allows this process to happen dynamically and this is important because it is more functional and essentially when we need the stability the most.
Our Physiotherapy led Clinical Pilates Program
Our specialist physiotherapists will often use the Pilates studios in the rehabilitation phase of treatment, in this 1:1 scenario the physiotherapist has the ability to adapt and modify the exercises to meet the needs of the patient. The patient then has the option of progressing on to classes run by their physiotherapist or one of our Clinical Pilates instructors.
For those patients who do not require traditional physiotherapy treatment but would like a specifically tailored Pilates program we offer an initial half hour assessment to identify any underlying problems and determine the most appropriate and effective intervention regime. As appropriate, our clients begin with a few 1-1 sessions. Some may continue to work on a 1-1 basis and others may then choose to move onto a closely supervised group session.
All physiotherapy led classes will include no more than 2-3 people at any one time. All patients continue to work on their individual programs which can be adapted and progressed within these classes.
Physiotherapy managed Pilates programs are covered under private health schemes.