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Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Exercises
Dr. Lisa Apple is an experienced Physical Therapist certified in the Schroth method and BASI Pilates. She utilizes certain aspects of Pilates in injury rehabilitation. Pilates was first developed in the 1920’s by Joseph Pilates and used to treat injured soldiers through a series of pulleys and springs. It came to the U.S. when Joseph Pilates began teaching dancers, and athletes in New York City. Pilates has evolved over the years with ten essential elements of the technique. These are; awareness, balance, breath, concentration, control, center, efficiency, flow, harmony and precision. Reading through these principles allows one to understand the intention of Pilates is that of a holistic form of exercise. In order to recover from an acute or chronic injury one must also utilize these elements. The holistic nature of Pilates is precisely why Dr. Apple believes that it is extremely useful tool and therapeutic modality in the rehabilitation of injuries.
Please read the following quote from Dr. Anderson, a physical therapist and Balanced Body professional:
Rehabilitation, Dr. Anderson says, is the medical arm of restoring function. “You have to be a licensed professional to say you offer rehabilitation. Physical therapists, chiropractors and speech therapists, for example, are licensed so they can offer rehabilitation. Since they are not licensed, Pilates, yoga, movement instructors in the United States cannot say they offer rehabilitation. To get even more specific, physical therapists are the licensed professionals who can offer rehabilitation through physical therapy and physical therapy is exclusive to them.”
Alignment and correct movement patterns are essential in creating appropriate strength and flexibility. In order to address the whole person, the ten elements listed above must also be taught and embraced. One of the goals at Revitalize Movement Physical Therapy is to achieve awareness of faulty movement patterns in the patient, through education, and integration of the principles of health into daily life. It is not enough to come to appointments each week and not have carry over into everyday activities. Control, balance and awareness learned in Physical Therapy can assist people to achieve this carry over into daily life through repetition and integration.
The reformer is a great piece of equipment that allows treatments to progress from very basic to extremely complex matching the healing process of rehabilitation. Dr. Apple will help you determine how to return to group and advanced fitness classes safely. It is important that the exercise you do does not reinforce faulty movement patterns that worsen your injury.
Other therapeutic exercise modalities that she utilizes are elements of yoga, tai chi, Feldenkrais, and functional three dimensional movement and conditioning. The body is able to heal from injury or chronic pain and make changes to it through the use of gravity, ground reaction forces, mass and momentum. It is not just moving in a fitness class that helps the body heal, it is the proper individualized program that adheres to proper bio-mechanics and stage of healing as the guiding principles of rehabilitation.