Pilates - A Patient's Perspective

A patient wrote in describing her experience during physical therapy:

As I crescendoed to the E string on my violin and turned my body to the right for emphasise, I knew that was it. A slight pinch in my lower left side and I dropped on the floor in agony. I knew the inevitable had come. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. I’d been in denial about my increasing muscle stiffness and aches in my lower back and neck, which had been niggling away for the past 18months. I never thought that at 25 years of age and with my level of fitness, I might end up bedridden for 6 weeks on my back, with shooting pain down my legs and arms, debilitated. I was wrong. I had be superficially trying to fix my lower back and neck pain by attending the Physical Therapist (PT) occasionally, but wasn’t committed enough to actually learn the exercises the therapist taught me. I had been going to the PT every time I experienced discomfort: a little manipulation that always gave me some relief, however this was temporary. I thought that combining this occasional treatment with running 3 times a week was good for my body. Little did I know that every jolt was compounding the stiffness in my joints due to prolonged sitting at a desk and that visits to the PT once every 6 weeks was no panacea. The first lesson of my back pain experience was never to be arrogant about your body, no matter the level of fitness or your age. Crippling pain can strike anyone. A mixture of poor posture, bad genes and lack of core strength led to my predicament.

Unable to work or study I was forced into a life of appointments, trying every treatment to rid myself of the pain. I saw all sorts of practitioners trying to understand the cause of my back pain and more importantly learn what I could do to relieve it. I went to physicians, osteopaths, PTs and Chinese doctors. The relief these practitioners provided was often good but temporary. I decided that soon I could not afford to be making appointments 2-3 times a week in order to get a few hours of relief.

I had heard of pilates but thought it sounded pretentious and useless. I needed some relief from the stiffness and pain so I was willing to try anything. At first I was fearful of the equipment used for pilates (or neuromuscular re-education) and was worried the exercises would set me back into weeks of agonising pain again. My body had gone into protective mode and I had to work hard to fight the fear of pain so I could move again. To my relief, pilates was the only thing that gave me movement back and forced me to get over my fear. All of this was a marvellous breakthrough and left me wondering why it hadn’t been suggested by a therapist earlier. The PT I used to see had mentioned exercises that would help my condition but it was usually in a rushed manner about 5-10 minutes after the consultation.

I had never visited a PT who was into a holistic approach and whose motivation was to help me solve my problems permanently until I came to see Luke Bongiorno at NY Sports Med. I needed a therapist who was patient and willing to teach me these exercises properly, in supervised sessions, so that I could learn a whole new way to move. After a few sessions with Luke, I was relieved to see that pilates and PT (manual therapy) were so heavily integrated. I wondered why all therapists weren’t using this treatment because as I see it, you are only getting half the care you need to fully recover if you are only receiving manual treatment.

I agree that manual therapy definitely has its place but unless the patient takes responsibility for their own rehabilitation and learns proper exercises that strengthen the core muscles, recovering from back pain will usually be a prolonged process. Not only is it expensive, but it also prevents full recovery from your musculoskeletal problems and leaves you relying on medication to relieve your pain. I do not have a background in health and knew very little about how the body worked before I had my back injury. After learning pilates I have a much better understanding of movement and posture and I know how vital it is to incorporate these principles into my everyday routine.

The unfortunate thing about it all was that it took an injury that set me back for 6-12 months to realize it. I just wish more physical therapy clinics and therapists themselves encouraged pilates because this is not only a real solution to prolonged pain but a fantastic way to prevent it.

- Josephine Cincotta
* Patient’s name was changed to protect her identity