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Pilates
Is Pilates for me?
Pilates is a total body conditioning method which can benefit everyone, whether you are:
- Post surgery
- Long term Low back pain
- Postural related back or neck pain
- Wanting to generally tone up and beat gravity
- Suffering with pregnancy related problems, ante or post natal
- A sports person wanting to get that extra bit of strength
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a method which has been around for a little while, but has recently become particularly popular due to celebrity and media endorsement Pilates concentrates on developing and maintaining a strong ‘core’. The ‘core’ encompasses all of your abdominal muscles including the pelvic floor and deep stabilising muscles. Although Pilates focuses on these areas, it also promotes good posture in the back, neck and also the limbs. Having a strong core has been shown to prevent low back pain from re-occurring, improve overall function and reduce disability, and it is essential for everyday function or sporting activity at any level. Pilates also promotes flexibility and co-ordination and is instrumental in restoring and teaching good posture and balance through movement.
It is important to have an assessment with a physiotherapist prior to starting Pilates to ensure that exercises are safe for you to complete, and to highlight areas for development from a strength and flexibility perspective. This ensures that you get the most from your Pilates class and do not stick with exercises that are ‘your favourites’. Within this initial assessment you are also taught correct recruitment of the deep core muscles that is essential for effective benefits from Pilates. It can be difficult to recruit these muscles correctly without specific teaching. Physiotherapists have the skill to teach this correctly within the initial assessment and monitor your technique throughout the classes.
Pilates at Pure
Pilates classes at Pure are not classic Pilates classes, although the principles and many of the exercises are the same as those taught in traditional classes. Pilates at Pure will be run by a Physiotherapist and will be Modified Pilates concentrating more on a functional approach using exercise that mimic those in everyday life and also in sport. Pilates relies on flowing movement, repetition and precision of all exercises and can be applied to everyday activities through to elite precise sporting activity.
Pilates at Pure consists of four levels: Everyone starts at level one and progresses through the program. Pure ensure that classes are small with 5 being the absolute maximum number of clients. This ensures that every individual gets the care and attention that they need while in the class. Following the completion of level one class your physiotherapist will indicate whether you are ready to safely progress go to the next level class. Therefore you may not stay at one level for long, but equally you may continue to stay at one level until you feel ready to progress to the next level.
What is Modified Pilates?
The APPI was established in 2001 by physiotherapists in response to the demand for rehabilitation based Pilates teacher training. The traditional Pilates repertoire is broken down into clearly defined levels and is in line with current physiotherapeutic research. The exercises commence by teaching activation of the deep 'cylinder of stability' to provide inherent stability to the spine. Modified Pilates exercises then challenges the holding capacity of this deep stabilising system with various movements. Functional positions and movement patterns are then introduced to ensure that the stabilising system is engaged throughout all daily activities to prevent low back pain.
Pilates at Pure is run by qualified physiotherapists specialising in prescription and supervision of therapeutic exercise. In many cases, it is claimable under patient’s Private Medical Insurance policies. For further information regarding charges, please contact a member of the administration team at Pure Sports Medicine.