Pilates: more than just a trend
“Pilates is the fastest-growing exercise genre in Australia and New Zealand, experiencing 250% growth in the 12 months to September 2022” – Forbes 2022
Pilates has been around since the 1900s, and its popularity recently skyrocketed during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. With more fans comes more sceptics. And as interpretations of this century-old form of exercise evolve, its original message sometimes gets lost.
Pilates has become very commercialised. It’s advertising mainly attracts women and seems to repel men. However, the origins of this exercise form may surprise you…
Joseph Pilates, a professional boxer, circus performer, self-defence trainer, and later the founder of the “Pilates method”, was born in 1993 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Joseph developed “Contrology” while teaching wrestling and self-defence at Scotland Yard, which involved a series of mat exercises. He studied yoga and animal movements, and evolved Contrology to incorporate the mind-muscle connection and a focus on core postural muscles.
Clinical Pilates derives from traditional Pilates. It had evolved to become more targeted to rehabilitating injuries or impaired movement patterns, and so exercises are specifically selected by physiotherapists. The principles of mind-muscle connection and focusing on core muscles still hold, but there is a shift from general exercises to a more tailored rehabilitation program.
There are many researched benefits to Pilates, and especially clinical Pilates, including:
- Recovery and prevention of neck and lower back pain
- Improves bone density in women with osteoporosis
- Improves knee function in those with knee osteoarthritis
- Improves rectus diastasis in postpartum women
- Improves mental and emotional wellbeing
- Aids in the recovery of shoulder pain
- Improves balance and postural control in those with Parkinson’s disease
- Reduces pelvic girdle pain in pregnant women
- Improves functional body composition (fat %, BMI, waist circumference)
- Improves sleep quality, satisfaction with life and perception of health
- Improves lower limb strength and reduces falls risk in the aging population
From this, we can understand that Pilates is well worth the hype. Not all studios practice and teach the same way, but if you are looking to start your clinical Pilates journey for your pain, injury or general health, give us a call at Sydney Physiotherapy Solutions.
