Pilates
Happy National Pilates Day. I am sure you have heard of Pilates. Everyone has. But what on earth is it?
Pilates is a form of low impact exercise with a focus on posture, alignment and core stability. The exercises we teach today are adapted from Joseph Pilates’ original technique from the 1920’s. It was originally set up to help train dancers and performers in New York.
Pilates or yoga?
There is a big overlap between Yoga and Pilates. At Kensington Physio, we are huge fans of both!
That said, in our opinion, Pilates tends to be a bit more focused on core stability, whereas Yoga has an increased bias towards flexibility and stretching. For those patients lacking spinal control or experiencing hyper-mobility, Pilates may be the exercise to opt for, in terms of ongoing management.
Pilates fits into physiotherapy beautifully. We use proven and tested exercises to help rehabilitate our patients. It is of particular benefit to those experiencing back pain. It can be mat based, or performed using resistance spring equipment (don’t be put off, it’s less scary then it looks!).
Several of our physiotherapists at Kensington Physio are Pilates trained and have taught clinical Pilates as part of their physio repertoire. Where appropriate, we can also use the Pilates equipment at our Russell Gardens clinic to strengthen you, as part of your physiotherapy rehabilitation.
If you have any queries about core stability, clinical Pilates or the classes we offer, please email info@kenphysio.com or call us on 020 7603 0040.
Author: Annika Williams, May 2017
