"It is a key movement in the Pilates system because it addresses the core musculature of the powerhouse in detail. This exercise gives an opportunity for an instructor to observe the body's symmetry. It allows them to cue a client to move straight through the spine, correcting the body's inefficient
" (Coleman-Brown and Haley-Kanigel, 2003).
Below are Coleman-Brown and Haley-Kanigel's instructions:
1. Sit on a mat with knees bent, heels together, and knees in line with the shoulders. Place hands behind thighs and make sure shoulders are over hips. Pull the powerhouse in and up, hollowing out the abdomen. Eyes gaze toward navel (photo 2,-page 28).
2. Roll back one vertebra at a time, starting from the base of the spine, until the elbows are straight or only as far back as you can control segmentally. The arms act to assist the abdominals as necessary. Then reverse the move (photo 3,-page 28).
3. Repeat five times, or as many as can be performed precisely.
Kloubec and Banks offer a basic Pilates routine that addresses virtually all the issues involved in hip and knee rehabilitation. They are:
Ab Prep. In a supine position, curl up with your hands by your sides, knees bent and feet on the floor. Stabilize the neck, scapula, and ribs, pull in and flatten the transverse abdominus, exhale to initiate movement, hold for one inhale, release and return on exhale.
Breaststroke. In a prone position, raise your arms overhead and sweep them to the side as the torso lifts from the mat. Holding your arms at the side, the torso "hovers." Then sweep your arms back overhead. Keep your neck long and the scapula retracted.
Half Roll Back. Sit upright with legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Roll half way back down to the floor, hold for one breath (inhale), exhale, and return to a seated position.
Spine Twist. Sitting upright, with legs extended in front slightly farther apart than hip width, and arms horizontally extended from the shoulders, twist the torso to the right on three exhaled breaths. On the inhale, return to center. Repeat on left side. Maximally rotate on the first exhale, then lengthen and increase the motion of rotation with the next two breaths.
Swan Dive Prep. In a prone position with arms extended overhead, press your torso into limited hyperextension. As the torso returns to the mat, extend and lift your legs (rocking on the pelvis).
Rolling Like a Ball. Lift your legs up to the chest, balance on the sitz bones, roll backward, and return to a seated, balanced position. Repeat. Concentrate on staying in full flexion (C-curve) throughout the movement. Use abdominals to initiate and control the movement.
Leg Pull Front Prep. In a prone position, extend your arms to assume a push-up position, lift one leg, extend the back and flex forward on the toes. Then repeat with the other leg. Keep your neck in line with the spine, with the scapula retracted and the transverse abdominals tightened throughout" (Kloubec and Banks, 2004, p. 34+).
Exercises using the Swiss Ball
Designed in many cases to be useful for prevention of low back pain, exercises with a Swiss ball or physio ball are also common to Pilates and have implications for rehabilitation of the hip and knee because they are non-weight-bearing, but do offer strengthening and muscle control rehabilitation (Spine-Health Web site, 2005).
With the exercise ball, an element of instability is introduced to the exercise that one would not normally get in a floor exercise. The body responds naturally and automatically to this instability to keep balanced on the exercise ball. Over time, the muscles used to keep in balance on the Swiss ball become stronger. In essence, individuals build strength in important back muscles and abdominal muscles without knowing it" (Spine-Health Web site, 2005), and this assists in creating a foundation for knee and hip rehabilitation exercises.
In addition, "it is theorized that the type of spinal movement induced by using the exercise ball (small range, adjustment of balance) may help reduce pain by stimulating the body to produce increased amounts of natural pain inhibitors" (Spine-Health Web site, 2005).
Case studies
Following are two case studies involving Pilates,
Female 'C', age 26, Interior Designer.
C' had injured her knee in a skiing accident. She was diagnosed as having a subluxation in the extension of both patellae due...
(Craig, 2001) According to Craig, "The deeper you get into the work and the more you understand its principles, the more Pilates should expand into other parts of your life. It's not about compartmentalizing exercise into one or two sessions a week or building up some muscle groups and neglecting the rest. Instead it cultivates an awareness of your spine, posture and everyday movements. This translates into how you lift
Pilates Total Conditioning Program lays emphasis not only on proper exercises, but also on the proper breathing while in the process of performing any one typical body movement. In other words, the technique is very similar to the ancient Indian exercise, 'yogasana', and in the same way in which the practitioners of yoga concentrate not only on exercises and specific body movements, but also on specific deep breathing exercises
Pilates and After Injury Rehabilitation As a child, German-born Joseph H. Pilates suffered from several illnesses that resulted in muscular weakness. Pilates was determined to overcome his frailties, and dedicated his life to becoming physically stronger. He studied martial arts, yoga, Zen meditation, and Greek and Roman exercises, and worked with medical professionals including physicians and his wife Clara, a nurse. Joseph Pilates' experiences led to the development of his unique
Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ For most of its duration, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ lingers horrifyingly on a mostly-naked male body in pain; as a result, the rest of the film seems exceptionally anxious otherwise about the issue of homoeroticism. Gibson claimed in interviews that the principal source for the film's screenplay (credited to Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald) besides the New Testament came in the recorded
The latter, performed by chiropractors, some conventional medical doctors, and other health care professionals involves applying force to a joint of the spine and moving it beyond its normal range of motion. This serve to alleviate back pain. Movement therapies, another CAM category, are movement-based approaches intended to promote holistic well-being. Examples include the Feldenkrais method, Pilates, Alexander technique, Rolfing Structural Integration, and Trager psychophysical integration. Manipulation of energy fields is
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