Overview

Traditional Pilates was originally used for elite athletes and ballet dancers, therefore it is highly physical, very challenging and uses a lot of exercises that produce large forces and strains on the spine. Traditional Pilates also uses a lot of ‘shoulder / head’ stands which is not generally appropriate for a large proportion of people.

Commonly it is this form of Pilates that is taught in gyms and health clubs and without the right instruction and high level of fitness from the client, it is not always safe or appropriate for the general public to perform Traditional Pilates.

In response to this Chartered Physiotherapists developed ‘Modified Pilates’ or ‘Clinical Pilates’. This form of Pilates combines evidence from ongoing spinal research with our knowledge and understanding of ‘normal' movement and anatomy. Consequently clinical Pilates has been embraced by other Chartered Physiotherapists across the world as they recognise the huge benefits that can be gained. Often clinical Pilates will be used to supplement and enhance the rehabilitation programme of many physiotherapy patient’s and it is generally safe for most people, provided they have been screened by a Chartered Physiotherapist prior to commencing any class.

At Pilates Physiotherapy Cork we find that some people who come to us may have some experience of Pilates, however upon examination, very few of these people are actually recruiting muscles or controlling their movements properly. This is often due to factors such as poor posture, pain inhibition or can be due to a lack of awareness of bad habits. This is one reason why all of our new clients attend an initial one-to-one session prior to attending our classes.