Pilates Performance & Rehab

Pilates for Pain Management

"Pilates has really helped me gain strength and muscle tone without the bulk. It seems to increase my overall stamina and energy level. I have a chronic illness and have found Pilates puts little stress on my joints and helps combat fatigue. It's great!"

Sarah L.

"I am a 62 year old female contractor and grandmother.

"I started Pilates to be able to enjoy life without having to take 24 Advil per day. Before starting Pilates, I had back and leg pain due to an injury six months prior, and back surgery ten years prior. I visited several orthopedic doctors as well as a neurologist who all concluded that they couldn't do anything for me. One of the physicians did suggest five different types of things I might try for relief from pain. One of the suggestions was Pilates.

more » "I knew a friend who had been telling me about her experiences with Pilates, so I thought it wouldn't hurt me to give Pilates with Desima a try. I feel GREAT and very seldom have an ache or pain. The progress that I made in the program was such that I stopped taking any Advil after two months. I can now pick up my grandbaby with no problem. I continue going to Pilates Performance & Rehab as a preventive measure so I am able to play with my granddaughter and do normal activities like working in the yard, walking, and traveling for long distances. I recommend Pilates to everyone that has pain or just wants to continue enjoying life as they always have. My husband did not hesitate to find out about the program because he saw my results."

J. E.

"Why I started- I had osteopenia and couldn't figure our how to get weight bearing exercise in a section of my spine that went "sideways" due to the scoliosis in my spine!

"I was in good shape when I started, but had over developed some muscles and underdeveloped others. I was getting daily cardio and did weight training on my own. I had pain every morning when I got out of bed, and pain when I got home from work. I had pain that I wasn't even aware of anymore because I just "zoned it out."

"I was skeptical about how much this would actually help my problem. I have been in the program for going on two years. I feel great now! No pain ever and if I have some, Desima addresses it right away and it disappears!

more » "I have improved my posture, my clothes fit better, my husband notices a big improvement, my abdominals are stronger. My last bone density test actually showed slight improvement! I can get up in the AM and do not have to take three Advil. I am not in pain when I get home form work. I am more flexible and confident.

"I continue to do Pilates because I don't want to be an old lady that can't get around on her own! Because it makes me feel good. Because I believe it is making me stronger, improving my posture and my balance.

"My favorite thing about Pilates is that it is fun and I get to play with toys!

"I have recommended Pilates to everybody who complains to me about pain: friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers, patients.

It has changed my life for the better and I recommend it to absolutely anyone who has pain==any any, any size, any level of fitness."

K.L.

"During January, 2006, I started having problems with my neck when turning my head. I couldn't turn it very far without pain, and backing the car out of the garage and driveway was very awkward as I had to turn my body halfway around in the seat to see where I was headed. I lived with it all of 2006 hoping the pain and stiffness would go away, but it just got worse. On January 3 & 4, 2007, I went to a Chiropractor. He was so powerful and aggressive that he fractured the L-3 of my back. He didn't x-ray my back and neck before he started treatments. I never felt such excruciating pain in all my life. It was so bad that I could not stand on my feet when elevated off the table. I told the nurse that something was terribly wrong, and she looked very worried. When I finally got on my feet, I don't know how I ever walked out of that office. My spine was stinging! I told my husband that I just could not go back, that it felt like he broke my back. My husband talked me into going back the next day for my appointment, telling me that I needed to give him a chance to get me well. When I got in that office, I told the Chiropractor I thought he had broke my back and I did not want him to give me any more treatments. He said, "I'm surprised you came back." He was very hostile and offended that I accused him of breaking my back and said no one ever got any bones broken by him, except for one lady's toe. I called my primary care physician when I got home and he ordered an x-ray and bone scan which revealed that the L-3 of my back had indeed been fractured.

more » "I had a Vertebroplasty procedure done at St. Francis Hospital by Radiologist to cement the fracture. I told the Radiologist at the hospital I didn't know how I was going to lay flat on my stomach with my head turned because my neck hurt so bad and pleaded with him to do something for my neck, too. He said when we knock you out, you won't feel your neck. My doctor had prescribed Physical Therapy for my neck in January, but I wasn't strong enough to continue because of my back and the weather turned very cold and icy during the month of January, 2007, and I was too weak after the back injury and Vertebroplasty procedure to drive there three times a week. My daughter encouraged me to go to Desima at Pilates Performance & Rehab to strengthen my back and do something for my neck, as it was killing me.

"In May, after Bible Study Fellowship had ended for the summer, my daughter made an appointment for me at Pilates Performance & Rehab with Tamara to be evaluated. At that time, I could no longer life my head to turn over in bed; I had to life my head with my hands to turn over, and I really thought there was no hope for me. I went willingly, though, thinking this was the last resort to do anything for my beck. In six months, I could turn my head without pain and lift my head off the pillow without pain to turn over in bed at night. I have been going to Pilates Performance & Rehab every week with private sessions with Desima since May, 2007. I doubt I will ever quit. She tells me it is a way to defy the aging process, and that is pretty important at my age. I feel like my daughter, Kathy, and my personal trainer, Desima, has saved my life by giving me quality life for the rest of my days here on earth. I can't thank you both enough—Praise God!"

D.B.

What Yoga Instructors Say About Pilates

"I've been teaching yoga for several years, and after taking Pilates, I feel an even deeper connection to my body. With the help of the Allegro Reformer, I've improved my alignment in yoga poses, and this helps me be a better teacher. Pilates is a great complement to my yoga practice, and I highly recommend it."

R. C.
Local Yoga Instructor

What Moms Say About Pilates

"I started Pilates because I missed dancing and I missed my dance-shaped body! I had no true injuries, but I was out of shape, having had my first child not too long before. Things in my body were just not right. I was having trouble with my inner thighs, as they were pulled in the delivery of my sweet baby I have scoliosis and would get painful muscle spasms. I looked Pilates up in the phone book. I began practicing and have been enjoying it for almost 7 years now. Pilates has returned my body to more closely resemble my "dancer body" with length and strength.

more » "It's extremely rare that I get a muscle spasm now. I've made it through 2 more pregnancies and births beautifully. Pilates helps me get my pelvis and abdomen back to a stable and properly functioning area after babies. The breath also helped me so much in labor and delivery (who knew!) I practice now, as I did in the beginning, because I love the marriage of science and movement that I find in Pilates, specifically Polestar Pilates. It is actually enjoyable instead of feeling like a chore. I get to move and release my body and breath to work in a rhythm that inspires both relaxation and power in me."

A.S.