What is Clinical Pilates?
Pilates is a gentle form of exercise based on muscle control, with muscles working against gravity and in some cases against the resistance of springs if you are using equipment. There is a strong focus on the core, using muscles such as your transverse abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor muscles to form a strong base from which limb movement can occur.
Will Clinical Pilates be beneficial for me?
Pilates is beneficial for any person, but particularly for those with the following:
- back, hip or pelvic dysfunction
- preventing ongoing or recurring pain
- before, during or after pregnancy
- incontinence
- motor control impairments
Pilates focuses on postural alignment, correcting muscle imbalances and achieving optimal coordination of multiple body parts.
Correct muscle activation patterns are also essential, and Pilates assists with retraining these to optimise the efficiency and effectiveness of exercise and movement in daily life.
What is the history of Pilates?
Pilates was originally developed by a man by the name of Joseph Pilates in the first decades of the twentieth century in Germany. As a sickly child, he aimed to become strong and healthy. He explored many physical training regimes, and researched yoga, tai chi, martial arts, body building and gymnastics, gradually developing his own form of exercise.
In WWI, Joseph was imprisoned in an internment camp in Britain, and worked as a nurse. He used this time to develop rehabilitation exercises for patients while in hospital, using a system of springs attached to their beds. This is how traditional Pilates equipment such as the trapeze table and reformer came into being.
After the War, Joseph worked with dancers in America, opening his own studio along with his wife. They soon realised the benefits of the Pilates method for rehabilitation after injury, and for injury prevention in their dancers, and the wider community soon caught on.
Pilates is now practised world-wide as a form of rehabilitation in Physiotherapy – referred to as Clinical Pilates.
At Back In Motion Kingston, we run weekly Clinical Exercise classes which use predominantly Pilates based exercises, along with flexibility, strength and general conditioning. Exercises are tailored to your needs and your physio will keep track of your progress. Give us a call today on 03 6237 0045 to book in an assessment.
Written by Jess Osborn (MPhysio, BHlthSc, APAM)