Pilates

What is Pilates?

Developed by the late Joseph Pilates (1880-1967), the Pilates method is a mind-body conditioning program initially designed for rehabilitation purposes during the early twentieth century. Pilates was later adopted by dancers as its philosophy blended well with their focus on core strength, co-ordination, flexibility and posture.

Pilates is based on a setof principles which exercise the whole body through a range of mat and equipment based exercises. Pilates combines the co-ordination of deep postural and stability muscles, breathing, and arm and leg movements with postural correction, suppleness and flexibility. With regular practice, Pilates positively changes the body. The method has seen resurgence in popularity over recent years and continued to expand since Joseph's death.

The APPI Method and Rehabilitation:

More recently Pilates has been adapted by the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute (APPI) to provide a specific program for athletes of all levels to increase their speed of rehabilitation.  The APPI Pilates Method is suitable for all ages and levels of ability. Scientific research is beginning to provide evidence of its effectiveness on reducing pain, improving physical function, movement and well being.

Back Pain:

For example, eighty percent (80%) of adults will experience back pain at some stage in their life.  When left unmanaged, a high proportion of people will continue to experience further episodes of back pain in future years.  One key to preventing recurrences, normally 80% of first instance sufferers become recurrent back pain sufferers, is to rehabilitate and retrain the deep abdominal, pelvic and spinal stability muscles to dynamically support the spine throughout movement. In this instance, the recurrence rate reduces to about 30% (Hides et. Al, 1994), a substantial reduction of 50% in terms of recurrence rates.

Lower Limb Injuries:

Furthermore, the team at Pilates Art Physiotherapy and London Sports Medicine have applied the APPI approach to the treatment of hip and knee injuries (ACL, PCL, MCL, meniscal and many others), in addition to ankle and foot injuries. In this instance we use the Pilates machines to accelerate rehabilitation. The Pilates reformer machines allow us to perform exact functional patterns of movements, but with the client lying down. This means that no gravity is applied to the injured joint, muscle, tendon or bone, reducing the compressive forces, but still re-training the muscle strength and exact movement pattern of their sport or activity. Once this is achieved, when the client begins to weight bear the body is already aware of the stresses that it needs to control the relevant activity or motion, leading to a much quicker rehabilitation.

What to expect in a Pilates Session:

The APPI Pilates method provides a unique method of restoring strength, flexibility and function. Pilates Art Physiotherapy offers Pilates instruction by fully trained Physiotherapists who are also advanced Pilates Instructors.  The team uses the latest rehabilitation and training principles to provide individualised care.

At the time of your assessment, our Physiotherapist discusses your health history and overall aims and goals for undertaking Pilates.  A full assessment is carried out and specific areas are noted to target through your program. This will be related directly to the requirements of your sport, and the level at which you are participating. Your Physiotherapist will introduce you to Pilates principles and key elements.  Once you have gained the fundamental principles your Physiotherapist will teach you basic Pilates mat exercises to enable you to practice the exercises at home in between supervised Pilates sessions.

The progression of your Pilates program will depend on your specific needs and ability.  Following your assessment, your Physiotherapist will discuss whether you will benefit from further individual sessions or if you have the Pilates experience and ability to commence a series of sessions under instruction in a small group or in a class setting. 

Pilates Art Physiotherapy focuses on efficient and effective movement sequencing and co-ordination, emphasising quality not quantity, core stabilisation, postural correction and sport specific movement patterns. Pilates Art Physiotherapy sessions combine the fundamentals of mat work with equipment based exercises.  Specially designed equipment allows you to apply basic mat principles to more dynamic and challenging exercises.

In summary, Pilates is a very well known form of exercise. It is based around achieving ideal core muscle control and then progressing that through as series of challenging movements. The APPI Pilates method relates that specifically to your injury, and is delivered by fully qualified physiotherapists to ensure optimal recovery.

This article was written by Mr Glenn Withers of PILATES ART PHYSIOTHERAPY

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