Clinical Pilates vs. Regular Pilates - What’s the difference?

Clinical Pilates vs regular Pilates: what’s the difference?

In recent years the term ‘Pilates’ has gained huge popularity. You might have seen ‘Pilates’ on your gym class timetable as well as in Physiotherapy clinics or dedicated Pilates studios. However, there are important differences between regular Pilates and Clinical Pilates classes.

Originally developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s, Pilates is a series of low impact exercises focused on improving muscle strength, control and movement using your own body weight, spring resistance machines like reformers or small equipment such as theraband and chi balls.  While regular Pilates is useful in improving core stability and strength it does not take into account individual needs.

So is Clinical Pilates the same as the Pilates I can do at the gym?

At Goolwa Physio our Group Exercise Therapy sessions are supervised by any one of our Physiotherapists who have undertaken extensive Clinical Pilates Training using the Movement Based Classification & Treatment System. This system adds an additional element of clinical knowledge to all exercises which does not always happen in gym based Pilates classes. At Goolwa Physio, our Physiotherapists can adjust, modify and specifically choose Pilates inspired exercises that meet your individual needs, based on clinical assessment. Through a thorough assessment process, our Physiotherapists are able to pick up individual movement problems and create a rehabilitation program including pilates inspired exercises that will specifically re-educate /correct that movement problem; this can make the difference between an exercise program that works and one that doesn’t. At Goolwa Physio, our Group Exercise Therapy program consists of 4 to 6 participants all undertaking individual exercise programs, not instructor led where everyone does the same exercises at once. By undertaking an exercise program that is specific to your needs, we are able to challenge your movement patterns and muscle strength to the point of improvement and change.

Are Clinical Pilates exercises done on the floor or using equipment?

At Goolwa Physio our Group Exercise Therapy sessions including pilates inspired exercises are equipment based, meaning we use specialised Pilates equipment to perform the exercises. This helps to avoid multiple transfers on and off the floor and is a great option for people who have difficulty getting on and off the floor. The equipment including reformers and trapeze tables can be adjusted to increase resistance and progress the difficulty of the exercise over time.

What does Clinical Pilates help with?

Clinical Pilates inspired exercises can help with a range of conditions, from back pain to neck pain as well as general strength and conditioning. Our physiotherapists conduct a thorough clinical assessment prior to anyone commencing our group exercise therapy. We can identify your main problem, determine your movement preference and through Pilates inspired exercises improve your body’s movement. Pilates inspired exercises activate trunk and abdominal muscles which helps to improve posture, strength, confidence, reduce pain and improve physical function. Clinical Pilates inspired exercises can also help to improve balance, proprioception and coordination and can reduce the re-occurrence of injuries by retraining movement patterns. Furthermore, group exercise therapy sessions gives the freedom to add additional exercises or treatments to each individuals program, based on our Physiotherapy training rather than purely Pilates inspired exercises.