Clinical Pilates

Clinical Pilates is a system of exercises conducted by a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy that integrates the traditional Pilates Method with an evidence-based approach to musculoskeletal dysfunction. Physical Therapists use pilates as a safe form of exercise that focuses on neuromuscular re-education, posture, core stability, balance, control, strength, flexibility, and breathing. The exercises can be adapted to make them suitable for patients with neck and back pain and those rehabilitating from injury. 

The Benefits of Pilates Exercise

The Pilates method of exercise offers a total body workout program that enhances the quality of life through improving strength, flexibility, control, breath, coordination, and body awareness. Posture, core strength, and balance will remarkably improve, resulting in strong and balanced muscles. 

Clinical pilates in washington dc for pain, injuries, and mobility

What happens in a clinical pilates session?

We will assess your posture and look at the way you use your body in certain activities paying particular attention to movements that cause your pain. This, along with our physical therapy assessment, will help us identify the causes of your symptoms or pain. It is now well understood that pain switches muscles off (inhibits), these are often deep stabilizing muscles that help support the spine or joints. Imbalances in our body can also be caused by repetitively moving in a certain way at work or in sport. Often we are unaware of this happening, but it can be the reason you get hurt or that your pain won't go away.

We will start you on an individualized exercise program that is designed to correct these faults and retrain or strengthen muscles that may have become weak or do not activate correctly.

Sessions will be on the Pilates equipment, including Reformer, and we will ensure you are performing all of the exercises correctly. You will receive an online exercise program to continue at home to reinforce the new movement patterns or postural corrections that you have learned.

What problems may be helped with clinical Pilates?

  • Back pain

  • Repetitive strain injuries

  • Pre and post-surgery

  • Sports injuries

  • Shoulder problems 

  • Sports performance enhancement

  • Knee and hip problem

  • If you want a low-impact form of exercise