Pilates – what is it and how can it help me?

You have probably heard about or even tried pilates or reformer pilates, especially as it has grown in popularity over the recent years. However, you may not 100% understand what it is or why people do pilates.

Pilates was originally developed as a corrective exercise system by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. Pilates is a safe and effective type of full body exercise that focuses on getting you moving optimally and pain free. It involves performing exercises on a mat and using specialized equipment which integrate coordination, body awareness, flexibility, and strength.

Currently people do pilates for a number of reasons, these can include:

- For rehabilitation after an injury or surgery

- During or after pregnancy for core strength, hip and back pain

- For back pain management and prevention

- To build core muscle strength

- To safely increase muscle and joint strength and pain free movement throughout the body

- To improve posture and maintain function throughout the body

You may choose pilates over traditional gym exercises as it is low impact on your joints and safer, but still provides you with a workout that is challenging and going to produce noticeable changes in your physical strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination.

At Physio Room we specialize in Physio-led Pilates, we offer 1 on 1 sessions of 30 minutes or more and classes of up to 4 people per class which can run from 45 minutes to 60 minutes. This layout means that we can personalize exercises to each participant’s level of ability, needs and goals, while also correcting technique frequently within sessions to ensure you exercise safely and get the most out of Pilates. Prior to joining a class we perform a 1 on 1 Pilates assessment and session to identify your goals, needs, and imbalances. We also use this time to familiarize you with the foundational exercises and to practice them so you will be ready for the classes.

If you are interested in Pilates or have any aches or pains that you think may benefit from Pilates book in with one of our friendly physiotherapists either online through the booking link on our website or call 8065 1970.