Clinical Pilates

“Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.”

Why us?
At South Physio Clinic we are accredited Clinical Pilates Instructors (matwork and reformer) by the Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute (APPI) London. This specific certification was given to us after months of post-graduate studying Clinical Pilates, either in the form of seminars, or in the form of exams and practice at the official APPI clinic in London.

Who can participate in Cinical Pilates treatments?
Therapeutic exercise in the form of Clinical Pilates in recent decades has been scientifically proven to be a safe and effective therapeutic intervention, where it can be used in several population groups:

• musculoskeletal
• neurological
• geriatrics etc.

For this reason, in recent years it has been loved by health scientists (doctors and physical therapists) as well as by patients.

How did the Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute (APPI) come about?
The Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute (APPI) was created in 1999 by physiotherapists from abroad. Physiotherapists first noticed the benefits of Pilates exercises as suggested by Joseph Hubertus Pilates, the founder of Pilates rehabilitation, and decided that some interventions needed to be made in existing exercise regimens to make the exercises more effective in clinical practice. The progressively increasing sedentary life of humans has changed human needs for movement, and research into biomechanics, anatomy, injury prevention and rehabilitation over time has led to the evolution of the original Pilates approach.
Joseph's 34 original exercises were re-examined and developed based on the patients' pathologies, pain and functionality: for each of these 34 classic exercises, another 4-6 exercises of progressive difficulty were created. The above resulted in creating a system of exercises that can include a patient from the initial phase of his rehabilitation to the final phase. This is why the APPI method for pilates is designed to provide a safe and progressive progression of strength, so the practitioner feels the benefits of exercise without fear of injury or relapse.
APPI instructors thus became recognized worldwide and therefore the APPI method is used for the rehabilitation of patients in hospitals, physical therapy centers and in sports teams.

What does Clinical Pilates rehabilitation involve?
The exercises can be performed either on a mattress (matwork), or on a Pilates bed (reformer). The APPI method is a mind and body exercise governed by 8 principles.

1. Breathing: Concentration on inhaling/exhaling is an integral part and the most difficult for beginners. During exhalation, the transverse abdominus and the diaphragm are activated, therefore one reason that during exhalation we produce the movement is to provide the spine with as much activation as possible in the stabilization muscles for greater performance and protection of the body.
2. Concentration: As we said before, pilates is an exercise for the mind and body. Mental concentration is essential in every pilates session in order to achieve: correct alignment of the body, its stabilization, as well as its perception and how it moves.
3. Control: Control of the movement is necessary when exercising so that each exerciser can: control his body during the movement, correct alignment, coordination and balance in the various positions.
4. Activation of the "Centering-Powerhouse": The muscles that make up the powerhouse are the muscles: pelvic, transversus, multifidus, diaphragm. Pilates exercises initially facilitate the activation of the center (core stability) and then make it difficult through various exercises moving upper/lower limbs.
5. Precision: Precision of movement is the long term goal in Pilates. We want precision in the starting and ending point of each exercise, precision in the position of the spine and body posture as well as precision in the rhythm of breathing.
6. Flow: By flow I mean that we emphasize the harmony of the movements rather than the speed and that they are executed smoothly. The exercises should flow into each other, like a choreography, but done in a natural way.
7. Isolation (Integrated isolation): Through practice and developing body awareness the practitioner is able to recognize faulty movement patterns, isolate them and then correct them.
8. Routine: Practice and repetition leads us to better quality movement so we can get the most benefits from exercise.

How can Clinical Pilates therapy help me?
At South Physio Clinic we first assess patients to identify muscle weaknesses/imbalances, balance deficits, and limited range of motion. Respecting any pathologies, pains that may exist, we set goals and then design a personalized strengthening program for each patient individually. The programs consist of exercises for: strengthening, mobility, flexibility, endurance as well as exercises for awareness and correction of body posture. So, some of the many benefits of Clinical Pilates are:

• Improving body awareness
• Improving muscle strength and flexibility
• Improving Body Posture
• Improvement of respiratory function
• Improve balance
• Injury prevention