Often, we hear clients asking for Pilates sessions because a physiotherapist or a doctor advised that they start with Pilates to help them with their respective injury. Most of the public do not understand what Rehabilitative Pilates is and that falling in with a group class will most likely aggravate the injury instead of curing it as the rehabilitation of an injury is actually quite complex and specific.

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Don’t get me wrong, a group class is fantastic! It’s social and usually quite tough depending on the instructor and level of where the clients are at. This varies from studio to studio, but at Pilates Co. we do not advise clients with injuries to join a group class immediately, because to hear the words “Pilates hurt me” really makes us so sad! Pilates is the exact type of exercise that they need, but they weren’t guided properly regarding the type of classes or exercises which they should be doing and NOT be doing!

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What is Rehabilitative Pilates?

Say for instance you have a spinal injury or have had an operation to the spine even if it was many years ago, you need to start with SPECIFIC exercises. This means, an instructor needs to do a proper assessment of your movements, obtain your full injury history, and then work out a programme that will enable you to be functional or help you obtain your goal. Working with other professionals such as physiotherapists is also very ideal and will just enhance the programme even more.

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What are Rehabilitative Pilates exercises?

Rehabilitative Pilates exercises are very specific. They might have their origin from the Pilates repertoire, but they will either have been re-designed or designed specifically for you, taking into account your injury, pain, strength, and even posture! If it’s CLIENT SPECIFIC, it means if will be safe and effective!

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So, why can't I just join a group class?

Yes, a group class is usually cheaper, but the class programme that will be followed might be too generic for your specific injury or where your body might be at that point in time. Meaning that some of the exercises might hurt you as they might be contra-indicative to what you should be doing. Most instructors will be able to give you some adaptations to assist you with the exercises, but this still might not be good enough. Some group classes are smaller and other larger, this means the instructor must keep her eye on 4 or maybe even 10 people!

 

We don’t like to hear this, but we make a lot of mistakes when we exercise. The body will do anything you command it to do, even if it must cheat. In over 10 years teaching Pilates and working with many different clients and seeing many different injuries, we know very well the compensations the body makes.

 

When working one on one with an instructor, it means you will have someone pinpointing out those “cheats” while exercising. This means the chances of making mistakes or doing a movement wrong is minimal, because your instructor will pick it up and either adapt the exercise for you or add an assist to enable you to do the exercise right and achieve the desired goal for the exercise. But this takes time and attention and a very dedicated instructor.

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How do I know I need Rehabilitative Pilates?

If you are wondering whether you need rehabilitative exercises or not, here’s some help.

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If you have had any spinal (including neck) surgeries, hip or knee replacements or shoulder operations in the past year, you should definitely ONLY do rehabilitative exercises. This might also mean that you will need to commit to a programme of at least 3-6 months to gain optimum strength and functionality.

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If you have hurt your neck or back (or knee, hip or shoulder) and now suffer from chronic pain, you will also need rehabilitative exercises as this will help you to avoid any operations and will help with pain relief and might even get you pain free or educate you on how to manage your pain.

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Common spinal injuries:

• Disc degeneration

• Herniated discs

• Pinched nerves

• Disc fractures

• Spondylosis

• Sciatic nerve irritation

• SIJ syndrome

• Chronic back pain

• Chronic neck pain

• Spasms

• Osteo arthritis causing Spinal arthritis

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Common shoulder/arm injuries:

• Dislocated shoulder

• Broken or fractured collar bone

• Tendinitis

• Pinched nerves

• Rotator cuff injuries

• Chronic pain due to bad posture/alignment

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Common hip injuries:

• Hip replacement

• Bursitis

• Chronic pain due to weakness or posture/alignment

• Osteo Arthritis

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Common knee injuries:

• Knee replacement

• Meniscus tear

• Damage to cartilage

• Osteo arthritis

• Chronic pain due to weakness or posture/alignment

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If you have any of the above, ask for Rehabilitative Pilates! Or if you are unsure, contact us with all your questions, we love to help!

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The instructors at Pilates Co. have a passion for rehabilitation! We love sorting out all the aches and pains and seeing our clients grow stronger and live a more functional and pain free life!