Why Physiotherapists Often Use Pilates as Their Exercise of Choice for Patients

There are many reasons why physiotherapists often use Pilates as their chosen exercise. In the United States, the American Physical Therapy Association estimates that there are over 200 different types of exercises a physiotherapist could use to try and rehabilitate a patient. These include strength training, cardio-respiratory endurance training, flexibility and stretching techniques for muscle groups just to name a few. Pilates is one of these many types of exercises. It was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates as an alternative to traditional weightlifting for rehabilitation after he suffered from severe injuries during World War I. Since then, Pilates has become a popular exercise for rehabilitation and general fitness. There are many reasons why physiotherapists favour Pilates over other exercises - we look at the reasons why (and why the team here at Articulate love it too).

Pilates is Low Impact
Firstly, Pilates is a low-impact exercise that places minimal stress on the joints, making it ideal for those with joint pain or injuries. In fact, because it is low impact, Pilates can be performed by people of all ages and abilities. Apparatus such as reformers and Trapeze tables can accommodate people of all shapes and sizes with a wide variety of issues. There is no strong impact on joints so it is great for those with joint replacements or chronic pain.

Pilates Targets Multiple Muscles Groups At Once
Secondly, Pilates targets multiple muscle groups at once, which makes it an effective way to improve overall strength and fitness. For example, while performing a basic Pilates exercise such as the “criss-cross ”, a person would be activating their abdominals and hip flexors to keep the pelvis stable. They also have to lift their legs up as if they were cycling as well as using their upper body muscles such as those in the arms, chest and back to hold on to the straps or bars for support.

In this way, Pilates effectively works multiple muscle groups at once, which can help improve overall strength and fitness quickly and simply.

Pilates is Safe and Effective
Thirdly, Pilates is a safe and effective exercise that has been shown to help improve a person’s overall health and well-being. For example, a study published in the journal “Physical Therapy” in 2009 found that Pilates was an effective treatment for people with chronic low back pain. The study found that participants who took part in a 12-week Pilates program reported significant improvements in pain, disability and quality of life. Pilates has also been shown to be helpful in rehabilitating patients with other conditions such as neck pain, joint pain, shoulder issues, lower limb issues and recovery from pregnancy. In fact, research has shown that Pilates is just as beneficial as traditional exercise for these conditions.

Pilates Targets the Core Muscles
Namely the abdominals, back muscles and pelvic floor muscles. This is important as the core muscles play a key role in posture and stability. Strengthening these muscles can help to prevent injuries and improve overall fitness.

Pilates focuses on alignment and body awareness
As Pilates focuses on correct alignment and using the core muscles to stabilise the body, it can help improve posture and prevent further injury. Pilates increases body awareness via the mind - body connection, which is important for all of us because it allows an increase in body awareness and the ability to identify any potential injuries or imbalances before they occur. Pilates can help people with injuries or disabilities learn how to coordinate their movements better so they maintain correct posture while moving. This can reduce the risk of injury during everyday activities such as walking up stairs or getting in and out of bed. Being aware of your own body and its movements is an important part of staying healthy and Pilates can help people to do this.

Pilates Focuses on Strength and Flexibility Together
Unlike many traditional forms of exercise where strength training is done separately from flexibility exercises, Pilates focuses on both together in every session. This ensures that the body gets a full workout while maintaining efficient muscle length-tension relationships throughout each movement. For example, muscles are stretched during certain movements while strengthening other areas at the same time through core control.

Pilates is gentle but effective
Finally, Pilates is a relatively gentle but effective workout that can be tailored to meet each person's individual needs. Pilates equipment uses different resistance levels to help increase or decrease intensity depending on the client's needs. The springs on a reformer for example can be adjusted to increase or decrease tension resulting in greater completion of repetitions with correct technique.

Pilates can be done standing up, on the floor and with specialised equipment such as a wunda chair which is used for legwork exercises.

With so many benefits it's simple to see why so many physiotherapists love Pilates as an exercise modality. Whether you're recovering from an injury, have a chronic condition or are just looking to improve your overall strength, fitness and flexibility Pilates may be a great fit! Contact our friendly team at Articulate on 07 3706 3407 to find out whether Pilates might be right for you.