What is Clinical Reformer Pilates, and How Can it Help You?
When recovering from injury or surgery, did you know that exercise forms a key component of your rehabilitation program? This is because exercise helps you to regain strength, movement, and flexibility. It re-trains specific muscle groups to work together at the right time.
Clinical Reformer Pilates is a type of exercise designed to optimise your healing and overall recovery process. It combines spring-loaded reformer pilates equipment to safely challenge the body with a focus on the areas that have been injured. It can also address your overall posture, flexibility, strength, balance, and breathing.
Our clinical reformer pilates classes or 1:1 sessions are well-equipped to help you recover after injury or surgery. All participants at an Optimise Health pilates class or 1:1 session must undergo an assessment with one of our physiotherapists so that we can craft a tailored rehab program and treatment plan that suits your specific needs. Contact us to learn more.
What is the Difference Between Reformer Pilates and Clinical Reformer Pilates?
While regular reformer pilates and clinical reformer pilates may seem identical at first glance, they actually have many key differences.
Regular reformer pilates:
- Is run by regular gym or pilates instructors.
- Does not consider an individual’s unique injuries, weaknesses, or goals.
- Involves exercises that are more general in nature and aimed towards the group at large.
- Is difficult for individuals with special requirements or injuries to participate in.
- May make injuries worse if proper form is not enforced or if modifications are not made.
Clinical reformer pilates:
- Is prescribed, led, and supervised by our certified physiotherapist Emily, or led and delivered by our AHA Rehab and Conditioning Coach Bec, who are both qualified in Reformer pilates.
- Is tailored to the individual based on their specific condition, treatment plan and fitness goals.
- Is performed either in one-on-one sessions or small classes to ensure plenty of personalised attention.
- Is ideal for individuals with a history of injury (such as whiplash or an athletic injury) or chronic conditions (such as neck pain or osteoarthritis).
- Includes continual monitoring throughout the class of technique and use of equipment to ensure safety and proper form.
Who Can Benefit from Clinical Reformer Pilates?
Almost anyone can benefit from clinical reformer pilates, including children, elderly people, pregnant and postpartum women, and those with a history of injury or chronic condition.
No experience is needed – your physiotherapist or rehab and conditioning coach, will tailor your reformer pilates program according to your level of strength and ability.
What Are the Benefits of Clinical Pilates?
Doing clinical reformer pilates under the guidance and or direction of a trained physiotherapist offers a number of benefits, including:
- Improving flexibility, as it helps you to achieve the perfect balance between strengthening and stretching.
- Improving muscle imbalances and bringing your body back into alignment through highly targeted movements.
- Increasing core strength, which will support and stabilise your whole body for better performance.
- Improving muscle tone without adding bulk.
- Injury and surgery rehabilitation to help your muscles regain their strength and function without aggravation.
- Helps alleviate chronic conditions (such as pre and postpartum, neck pain, back pain, hip pain, and pelvic pain).
- Helps athletes (including runners, dancers, gymnasts, and swimmers) to improve their sporting performance and technique.
- Increasing endurance by improving muscle elasticity and ability to maintain function for extended periods.
- Improving overall health – decrease muscle tension, increase mobility, stronger movement patterns, and decrease the risk of injury.
What Does a Clinical Reformer Pilates Class Look Like?
Before joining a class, you will need to be assessed by one of our qualified physiotherapists. After the assessment, you will be prescribed a plan that incorporates specific movements that will be performed on a reformer machine.
During the session, the physiotherapist or coach will monitor you every step of the way; helping with your technique and educating you on each movement. We have a choice of small group classes (with a maximum of 5 participants each following their own prescribed plan) or one-on-one classes.
An Exercise or Recovery Program Tailored to You
Whether you suffer from chronic pain, are recovering from a recent injury or surgery, want to improve your sports performance, or are just looking for physio-led or directed exercise, clinical reformer pilates with Optimise Health is for you. Our team of knowledgeable physiotherapists will provide a customised exercise plan based on your individual needs and goals that will see an improvement in your everyday functioning in no time.
Book an assessment with our physio team today.
