Clinical Pilates

Bassendean Wellness Clinic offers General, Pregnancy and Post Natal Physio Pilates Classes. All Physio Pilates classes are taught by Mr. Sam Pierce, our resident Physiotherapist, to ensure a high standard of instruction, supervision and an understanding of the pathophysiology of back pain.

Core Stability retraining is important for the treatment of many areas including:

  • Low back pain
  • Groin strain and Osteitis Pubis
  • Hamstring
  • Pelvis
  • Women’s Health – pelvic floor and peri-natal period
  • Hip Pain
  • Knee Complaints
  • Shoulder Stability (throwing, golf swing, batting mechanics)
  • Injury prevention
  • Performance enhancement
  • Fall prevention
  • Neuro Rehab and Paediatrics

Core Stability refers to the ability of the body to activate the trunk muscles or better known “core muscles”. It involves specific activation and control of deep stabilising muscles. Good core stability is using the right muscles at the right time at the right intensity to control the trunk appropriately for the task at hand. These muscles are important and crucial in nearly all your daily activities so it is without a doubt a necessity knowing how to control, activate and strengthen them.

The deep stabilisers:

  • Attach directly into the lumbar spine at each level
  • Turn on before you move to support the spine and pelvis
  • Turn on and stay on as you move
  • Work at a low intensity and stay on for long periods of time

From the first episode of back pain the deep stabilisers change how they function. The spine and pelvis are no longer protected by the deep stabilisers as well as they should be. The deep stabilisers now:

  • Have delayed activation, turning on AFTER you start to move
  • Turn on and off as you move – hence not providing the support they usually do
  • Work in short bursts rather than staying on as you move

Pain around the lower back and pelvis or groin often results from these changes. Treating the painful areas only gives short term relief. To treat the pain effectively you need to stop the reason why the pain occurs by improving the deep stabiliser muscles in conjunction to the spinal dysfunctions.

The deep stabilising muscles insert directly or via their fascial attachments directly onto the lumbar spine. The direct connections of the deep stabilising muscles allow them to have a great deal of control over the lumbar spine and pelvis. This fine tuned control of the deep stabilisers is what we rely on when stressing our spine.

Assessing and treating issues with core stability involves assessing both the local and global systems. It is important to find what is under active, what is overactive and make the muscles function more normally. Generally there is a deficit in the local system that needs to be improved and the subsequent compensatory strategies of the global muscles reduced. It is this reduction in the compensatory strategies that will generally make you feel better.

For the current Pilates timetable, please call us.

The Development of Clinical Pilates

Over the past few years Sam has combined his knowledge of Pilates with his Physiotherapy Practice to develop his approach to Pilates. His version of Pilates is based on a Pilates framework but incorporates current concepts in core stability from recent research. Sam believes that not every patient can be put into the Pilates framework as every patient is different, every patient’s need is different and hence the Pilates approach needs to be different. He also uses his knowledge of clinical practice and relates that to the patient’s complaints and dysfunctions and may mix and match a different approach depending on the case in hand and the most appropriate way of doing an exercise or movement. Sam also reviews the recent research and as further research is done in the areas of motor control, lumbopelvic control, lumbopelvic pain and core stability, Sam will continue to evolve his classes to reflect this.

History of Pilates

Though Pilates has become popular in the last few years, it is by no means new. Joseph Pilates was a boxer and performer, who was interred with other German nationals in Lancaster, England. Joseph Pilates studied yoga and, ancient Greek and Roman exercise regimens and combined these with his own theories. Joseph Pilates started teaching this technique during World War I while he was interred with other German nationals in Lancaster, England. During this time Joseph Pilates devised the ‘mat work’ portion of Pilates. Later, Joseph Pilates was transferred to another camp where he became a caretaker of fellow prisoners. It was here he began to use the hospital beds and springs to make equipment to provide resistance for exercise. Joseph Pilates worked with injured prisoners to rehabilitate them using the resistance of springs and their own bodyweight. After the end of the war Joseph Pilates immigrated to the USA. He set up the first Pilates Studio in New York City in 1926. Pilates remained the secret of dancers for many years until the recent explosion in the popularity of Pilates.

About Our Pilates

Bassendean Wellness Clinic offers General, Pregnancy and Post Natal Pilates Classes. All Pilates classes are taught by Sam Pierce, Physiotherapist to ensure a high standard of instruction, supervision and expertise. Where necessary, Sam is able to adapt the class structure for individuals with a history of pain or pathology. It’s unusual for our classes not to contain someone with a history of pain, especially back and neck pain. Most health funds offer a rebate under your Physiotherapy Cover for Pilates classes taught by a qualified physiotherapist.

Sam has a focus and an emphasis on postural symmetry, breathing and core control.

Why should you do Pilates during pregnancy?

These classes are designed to help your body adapt to the changes you undergo during your pregnancy, labour and the post natal period. These three phases have different physical demands which need to be addressed.

During pregnancy there are changes in body shape, posture and flexibility. As the pregnancy progresses your belly expands to accommodate the growing foetus. Your belly grows, your ribs are pushed apart, your centre of gravity moved forward and hence your pelvic floor is under a much greater load. Your body may need some help adapting to these changes to prevent pain and/or incontinence.

What’s more, during the later stages of Pregnancy, specific hormones such as relaxin and estradiol alter the viscoelastic properties of the ligaments, muscles and other soft tissues of the body. This will result in an increase in the laxity of the pelvic joints (sacroiliac and pubic symphysis) as the pregnancy nears full term, although this may start as early as 12 weeks. Good gluteal, abdominal and pelvic floor muscles help reinforce these areas to prevent pain and dysfunction in the pregnant pelvis. We specifically target these areas in Pregnancy Pilates classes.

Labour is an incredibly physically demanding time. We tend to give birth to larger babies at a later age than women did in previous generations. For the first stage of labour, while the cervix dilates, strong and well controlled core and leg muscles help you get to second stage. During second stage of labour good endurance, strong abdominal, gluteal and pelvic floor muscles are needed to help you push the baby out. We work on all these areas in our Pregnancy Pilates classes.

Immediately following delivery your pelvic floor and abdominals begin their recovery. Knowing how to work these muscles before you deliver makes it much easier to use them accurately after the baby is born. After delivery, your focus shifts to the baby. This ‘little’ baby weighs on average about 4kg and gets heavier and wrigglier every week. Learning to move well with the baby to prevent injury and use your body appropriately is important.