Clinical Pilates

Pilates and Clinical Pilates may sound like two sides of the same coin, but in reality they offer several differences in practice, and application. These differences mean that some people will be more suited to standard Pilates, while others would benefit more from taking part in Clinical Pilates.

What Is The Difference?

Traditional Pilates is a technique developed by a professional dancer named Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s, and its main function is to aid in rehabilitation. The exercises involved in a typical Pilates session or class will focus on improving general movement, increasing strength, and giving the patient more control in their body. Pilates, including reformer-based Pilates, which makes use of equipment and machines, not just a mat, can really help a patient to improve their core stability and general strength.

Clinical Pilates differs from Pilates because it takes into account an individual’s specific injuries and physical needs, instead of having every person work in the same way. The staff in a Clinical Pilates establishment have expert knowledge and training in physiotherapy and exercise physiology, meaning that they can analyse which specific Pilates exercises suit each patient best, and they modify their routine to those needs.

This additional clinical knowledge, which is absent from standard Pilates practise, means that patients can undergo a clinical assessment and, from there, be told exactly where their problem areas are, and shown exactly what exercises they need to focus on in order to improve those issues. Clinical Pilates offers a personalisation that isn’t available with standard Pilates.

Which Is Best For Me?

Whether you choose to go for Pilates or Clinical Pilates is your decision, and it is often dependant on how you feel in your body. If you have been suffering for several years from a constant lower-back discomfort that you cannot seem to cure, it is probable that Clinical Pilates is the best route for you to take. The clinical assessment available to you will be able to help identify the root cause of your problem, and your Clinical Pilates can be mixed with physiotherapy to ensure that you are receiving the best possible training for you as an individual.

If you are not suffering from any specific ailment or issue, but you have expressed an interest in becoming stronger and feeling more in control of your body, Pilates is great way to improve both your overall strength and your core.