Pilates Scene

Fascia is a buzz word right now, here’s some comment on the role breathing has in relation to TLfascia. Continue reading…

Part One – Core stability and pain
“Stability is probably the most inappropriate word we can use to describe our patient’s spines that are in pain. No one has documented that patients in pain have unstable spines nor is there any reliable clinical test for it.”

Part Two – Stability exercises might help
“I have seen “faulty” motor patterns and I have also seen them “corrected” by doing exercises that have nothing to do with retraining the supposedly faulty muscles. If a motor pattern is corrupted this pattern is most likely corrupted at the level of the brain.”

Keep exercise level at a moderate intensity (target heart rate = 50%–70% of maximum, or 4–8 MET).
Keep body temperature at client’s comfort level to avoid increase in vasomotor symptoms.
Add cardiovascular, Pilates and/or meditation components to improve QOL (quality of life).
Add resistance training and Pilates to increase bone mineral density and help maintain a healthy BMI.
Encourage clients to exercise 60 minutes a day for a minimum of 12 weeks to garner the best results.

Source – IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 9, Number 11, November 2012

A topic very near and dear to many people’s hearts in the Pilates industry. If we don’t validate what we do, we are at risk of being continually ignored by the Allied Health community. Sherri Betz piece is timely and hopefully can inspire someone to get their hands dirty in some research.

“Since Pilates is no longer the novel approach to exercise and has become more mainstream, the industry needs to differentiate itself from other fitness methods in order to remain a viable and credible exercise approach.” Right on Sherri.

Sherri R. Betz, PT, GCS, CEEAA, PMA®-CPT
Chair, PMA Research Committee
Vice-President, Polestar Pilates Education
sherri.betz@polestarpilates.com

Pilates COREterly Fall 2012

Some new online content on managing LBP from our Physios.
Look up ‘apatube1′ on YouTube. Continue reading…

Love a bit of VMO activation research.

And if there isn’t much on TV tonight, perhaps add to your evenings reading with ‘Short-Term Effects of Hip Strengthening on Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.’

If you are using squats with your clients, you will benefit from reading this Mike Reinold blog information related to anterior and posterior leg msl activation and centre of gravity.

Based on research from Am J Sports Med. 1996 Jul-Aug;24(4):518-27.
A comparison of tibiofemoral joint forces and electromyographic activity during open and closed kinetic chain exercises.

Gang, we know this, but we need research like this for the benefits to be HEARD by others.

Pilates can help you decrease back pain. Thirty-nine physically active subjects between 20 and 55 years of age with chronic lower-back pain were randomly assigned to receive either four weeks of Pilates instruction, or simply a consultation with a physician and other healthcare professionals. It’s likely no surprise that the Pilates group reported a significant decrease in pain and disability over the control group (J Ortho Sports Phys Ther, 2006).

Wowee, lookie what I found.

Very interesting. A contentious issue. I think imprinting works for some and neutral works for others. Look forward to your thoughts.