Physiotherapist-led Pilates, also known as Clinical or Rehabilitative Pilates, is an amended form of traditional Pilates, taught by a Physiotherapist. It consists of numerous rehabilitation principles and can assist in the management of chronic conditions, spinal pain, rehabilitation from injury and prevention of further injury. It is a low impact form of exercise which means it does not stress any joints, making it suitable for all ages and capabilities.

A commonly held belief is that Physiotherapist-led Pilates is just core strengthening - it is so much more than that!! It is a mixture of strengthening exercises, balancing exercises, stretching and mobility exercises. Physiotherapist-led Pilates combines the principles of more traditional Pilates with the Physiotherapist’s knowledge and expertise to adapt exercises, ensuring they are suitable for those with injuries or painful conditions. Often this will comprise of different options or variations of an exercise to make sure you are doing the most appropriate exercise for your body. Typically Physiotherapist-led Pilates is at a slower pace than traditional Pilates to ensure you can keep up and perform the exercise in a safe yet effective manner. 

Recovering from injuries:

Previous recommendations for injuries used to be an initial rest period. We now know that “rest is rust” and so this recommendation has been changed to relative rest. This may mean temporarily stopping a higher impact form of exercise (e.g. running, walking or gym classes) however you still need to keep your joints mobile and your muscles strong to rehab effectively. Physiotherapist-led Pilates can be a great rehabilitation tool, achieving the relative rest your body needs to heal, while also keeping you mobile and strong without aggravation of your injury.

Low back pain:

For those experiencing lower back pain exercise is a key recommendation in the management of this. In recent systematic reviews exercise has been shown to be beneficial in the management of low back pain and in particular exercise involving strengthening and flexibility, both of which Physiotherapist-led Pilates involves.

Persistent pain:

Persistent or chronic pain is a condition in its own right that for many years has gone underdiagnosed, under-reported and poorly managed. Recent guidelines for the management of chronic pain include exercise as a key component. Commonly when you suffer with pain there is fear associated with exercising. For many this fear stems from an anticipation that exercise will make the pain worse. Studies in this area show that endorphins released when exercising can help improve pain. If we do not exercise we lose mobility, bone and muscle strength, reduce our balance and overall increase our risk of falls/injury. This disuse or deconditioning further negatively affects the quality of life and increases the disability associated with chronic pain. There are many forms of exercise available, finding one that suits you and most importantly that you enjoy is key! If you are looking to start exercising again and apprehensive to do so, Physiotherapist-led Pilates can be a good place to begin as it is slow-paced, low impact and run by a healthcare professional.

So whether you have a short-term injury, long term back pain or chronic pain condition or just want to exercise at a slow safe pace Physiotherapist-led Pilates is suitable for all!