Friday, October 5, 2012

Pilates.....Is it therapy or exercise?


Joseph H. Pilates, born in the late 1800's, is often considered the father of modern Physical Therapy. Much of his early work was done in a hospital after World War 1 where he was able, albeit crudely, to help many patients get strong enough to leave their beds. Its said that Joe Pilates got the wounded up and out of their beds faster than the doctors. Pilates' secret weapon was strength training. He fashioned crude weight training devices out of bed springs and surgical tubing. He rigged up pulleys and springs against the traction beds that became home to many of the wounded soldiers after The War. With little more than shear determination Joe Pilates, a high school dropout who happened to be working as a hospital orderly, was able to develop many of the Physical Therapy techniques that are used today in the modern PT clinic. 
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Modern Traction Bed
Some say Joe Pilates was a Nurse or a PT but actually he was just a simple man who believed in nature's ability to heal. He instinctively knew that "movement heals" and would not stop working with a patient until he was strong enough and fit enough to get out of bed. One of Joe's early inventions, he called the Bednasium, was a traction bed type of device that would allow even a bedridden person to exercise and get/stay fit and strong.

Joe Pilates working with a client on the Bednasium
 This Bednasium matured into the modern Pilates Cadillac which resembles a four poster bed. The exercises done on these types of modern Pilates equipment run the gamut from super simple and therapeutic - such as would have to be done with patients with limited strength or mobility - to the super advanced extreme exercises that would make even Olympic gymnasts break a sweat!

The Pilates Cadillac
And so it is that Pilates, as an exercise method, has evolved from a therapeutic beginning (Joe Pilates himself began exercising to heal himself from childhood Asthma and Rickets) to an exercise discipline sought out by celebrities and everyday folks looking to get fit and stay in shape and yet more recently has turned towards healing people again.
The original Pilates Studio in NYC         from left:Joe, Mary (Joe's niece), Clara, unknown client
But when we ask the question, Which is best....Physical Therapy or Pilates? It seems that for the injured patient, PT always wins out. So how come the shift away from Pilates, a proven method of getting patients well enough to leave the hospital in a timely fashion. In my opinion, it is not so much a shift of what the actual activity is, but more a shift of who performs it. After the war Joseph Pilates came to America and opened a Gym (we now call it a Pilates Studio) in the heart of the entertainment district in New York City and although he rehabbed many a dancer in his time there, his exercise techniques became better known as more of a fitness/dance method and less of a rehab method. Then, after Joe's death in 1967, the method stayed with the dancers and fitness enthusiasts for many years until the last 5-10 years when it has emerged again as a "back to basics" method of rehabilitating everything from joint replacements to aching backs and even neurological issues. So in recent years Pilates has primarily been taught by dancers and fitness instructors to people who want to get and stay fit. Now that many Physical Therapists are realizing the benefits from Pilates, perhaps by taking a class at their local gym themselves, it is beginning to be accepted as a proven method of physical therapy. Courses of study specifically for PT's are popping up across the country including the PIA courses "Pilates Essentials", "Mat 1" and "Reformer 1" that are pre-approved for CE credits for PT's and PTA's. The best way to rehabilitate an injury, recent surgery or bio mechanical issue is to learn corrective body mechanics, to strengthen weaker body parts and stretch the tighter body parts, thereby restoring the balance that our bodies most definitely crave. Of course, Joesph Pilates knew we needed this basic movement experince almost 100 years ago. Pilates is not a new craze or a fad - it is proven to make people well. It heals the body from the inside out and not only addresses a particular body part that requires rehabilitation, but it actually addresses the entire body as a whole and makes the whole body strong, fit and limber so that aches and pains become a thing of the past.
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So......It is not really a question of which is best, PT or Pilates, but rather which Therapy Center should I go to to get the best therapy? Because if it was up to me, I would choose the therapy center where the therapists are trained in Pilates techniques and employ them right alongside the more traditional therapy methods. This way I can be sure my therapeutic outcome would be the absolute best. Who knows, I might even keep doing Pilates every day because it makes me feel good and I know it will help prevent future injuries (see Frankie's PIA Pilates Blog on "Pilates for Life").

visit www.PIAworkshops.com for Pilates Workshops for PT's

Monday, October 1, 2012

Pilates for Life

If you know anything about the History of Pilates you will know and appreciate the many amazing benefits of the Pilates Method. From flattening the abdomen, to reducing back pain; increasing flexibility to eliminating the need for certain surgeries; Pilates really IS an amazing program. But Pilates is way more than just a toning or stretching exercise. It's a results driven muscular re-education program that takes the body back to a state of youthfulness.You remember: those days before all the aches and pains and injuries of everyday life set in. Joe Pilates practiced what he preached and was proud of his method:
"I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier."                           Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965 (two years before he died) 
Although we are active at sports and recreational activites like hiking, running and biking, we are not balancing our bodies and giving them what they need to stay healthy. How many runners are side-lined because of repetitive stress injuries? How many retirees want to play golf and tennis but their backaches are too severe from all the years sitting behind a desk? How many athletes, as skilled as they may be at their chosen sport, just need that extra edge over the competition? Pilates is here to help.
Pilates is more than exercise. It's more than therapy. Its a way of life. And it should be done every day for your entire life. Pilates is like taking a shower. We shower (hopefully - LOL!) on a daily basis. Its something that we need to do in order to stay healthy and clean, but if you do it too often you will shrivel and dry up. Your daily shower is also an habitual activity. You do it regularly and just don't feel right without it. Pilates is like that. You choose to do and your body craves Pilates everyday in order to maintain your vitality, flexibility and energy.
Lolita and Me at a Pilates Conference
My good friend, Lolita San Miguel (Pilates Elder and only living person actually certified by Joe Pilates), once said to me after being asked why she does Pilates every single day, "I just don't feel right if I don't do Pilates". Now in her late 70's, Lolita is living proof of the effects of a daily Pilates regimen.
Pilates gets into the very essence of your being because it can affect the body on a cellular level. Your energy and outlook on life is different when you practice Pilates daily. You digest better and sleep better when you do Pilates. Everyday tasks seem much less daunting after you've done your Pilates session and the energy boost seems to last all day. I have been practicing Pilates for over 20 years now and I agree with Lolita... I just don't feel right if I miss a day. In fact, I think I've got to cut this Blog Post short because I need to go and do some Pilates right now.
Even just a few minutes of focused work makes a huge difference. But don't be fooled: Pilates is not a quick fix. It can take many lessons in order to learn the techniques and many years to master them. But, trust me, its worth it!
Want to do a little Pilates with Lolita and me? Check out this DVD.... Sample of Lolita & Frankie DVD available at The PIA StoreThe PIA Store in Workout DVD's