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Pilates-based Physical Therapy
Why choose Pilates-Based Physical Therapy?
Life is too short to let chronic pain stop you from doing the things you love. The key to ending your pain is learning to strengthen and engage the proper muscles while sitting, walking and exercising. Even if you find relief, how can you ensure that the pain will not come back? Standard physical therapy alone is sometimes not enough to help you do this.
If you have recurring chronic pain despite having seen several practitioners, you may consider a clinic that specializes in Pilates-based physical therapy. Though not always as much fun or as social as a traditional Pilates class, Pilates-based physical therapy can make a world of difference.
For many, Pilates by itself is a way of life. Clients choose a Pilates teacher that they enjoy being around, and programs that continually keep them limber and strong. While Pilates focuses on the whole body, physical therapy is often short-term and targets issues directly relating to the pain that brought you to their office. Neither is a solution on its own, but combining the two is a step toward permanent recovery.
Pilates is a valuable tool for many physical therapists. While traditional physical therapy is usually for a specific area of pain or for rehabilitation after surgery or injury, Pilates-based physical therapy helps the body heal completely. It assists with long-term maintenance to keep the pain away for good because it addresses the basis from which all movement stems and works on how the body works as a total system with movement.
Pilates teachers are trained in exercises that incorporate full range body movements, but will advise you to stop when you feel pain. They are trained to spot and gently support with their hands without using a “hard touch.” On the contrary, physical therapists are trained to perform deep tissue manipulation to help you work through the pain where applicable. Physical therapy performed on Pilates equipment is done much slower than traditional Pilates, and focuses on specific form and muscle recruitment to promote proper body mechanics and improve circulation. Though it is sometimes painful, Pilates-based physical therapy helps you build strength and flexibility while healing, re-patterning your body to use the proper muscles at the proper time.
Pilates teachers work using a lower amount of repetitions to avoid muscle fatigue. Physical therapists work repetitions to the point of muscle failure in order to restore strength and motion in weakened muscles and joints.
Physical therapy alone focuses on repair, but combining it with Pilates helps patients condition and maintain the body’s musculoskeletal system. Although both rely on balance, it is impossible to achieve full balance if you have a rotated pelvis (core). Pilates-based physical therapy teaches patients to avoid old habits that caused the pain to begin with. Speak to your doctor to see where a good therapist is in your area to be on your way to a pain-free stronger life.