What does a physio pilates session look like?
So you’ve probably seen all the pilates reels/videos on Instagram, TikTok and all over social media skyrocket the last few years and maybe you’ve tried some pilates classes yourself.
Have you ever wondered how it works all the small muscles in your body that you may have never felt before?
Did it make you curious about learning more about your body? If you have current injuries or previous injuries did pilates exercises benefit your symptoms?
If some of these questions resonated with you, you may want to further explore physio pilates.
What is physio pilates?
At Resilience Physiotherapy, physio pilates or clinical pilates are 1:1 sessions with a Registered Physiotherapist with additional clinical pilates training, that aims to use individualized pilates programs to work towards your goals.
Depending on your goals and physiotherapy assessment, other forms of physio treatment may be incorporated into your pilates sessions. These will be determined based on your initial assessment and appropriateness of certain techniques.
These may include manual therapy, exercise prescription, education, taping and with Michelle, needling/acupuncture.
Who is physio pilates for?
Most people can benefit from physio pilates, whether it is learning the fundamental principles of pilates and applying that to your daily life or activities like sports you’re involved in or actually doing pilates for exercise.
Fundamental principles of pilates include breathing and mind-body connection, postural alignment (pelvis, rib cage, head and neck) and stabilization.
It also involves and develops concentration, control, coordination, flexibility and body awareness.
Some populations (but not limited to) that may benefit from physio pilates include:
individuals post-injury and surgery (reformer pilates is non-weight bearing and allows individuals to strengthen while maintaining non-weight bearing restrictions)
individuals with postural issues such as desk-workers
athletes/active individuals for cross training
pregnant/post-partum women
older adults
individuals looking to get back into exercise in a safe and controlled environment or injury prevention.
What does the first session look like?
The initial physio pilates assessment largely mirrors a typical physio assessment.
We start with understanding your situation, expectations, pilates experience (you definitely don’t need to have any prior experience; many of our clients have never done pilates before they come to see us and have only heard about it!) and goals before assessing movement.
We then assess factors including posture, functional movements (squats, lunges, walking, any pilates movements you have questions about etc.), motor patterns, strength, mobility and breathing.
From here, we create a pilates rehab program and continue to modify the exercises and cues throughout subsequent sessions based on what you prefer and respond to best.
What type of equipment is used?
Pilates equipment used include the reformer, tower, mat and props such as resistance bands, foam rollers, barrel and toning balls.
What if I have questions about the exercises?
We love it when you ask us questions about the homework exercises or the exercises you may have done in group pilates classes or even just at the gym.
Your questions, observations and reflections on how your body feels after doing certain movements are integrated with our assessment to better guide you and your body towards your goals.
With subsequent sessions, we encourage you to continually provide feedback on the exercises and how we can better guide you through the process.
A lot of physio pilates vs. pilates itself is tailored and specific and incorporates your ideas into a shared treatment plan.
How to book physio pilates at Resilience Physiotherapy located in Toronto
If you’re interested in a physio pilates session and have questions please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email, book a complimentary call or book a Clinical Pilates Assessment on Jane, our online booking site. We are conveniently located in the Toronto Annex area and would love to work with you.
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Written by Jessica Chiang, Registered Physiotherapist