Rapid Rehab LA Pilates Based Physical Therapy Brentwood California

Chrondomalacia is an injury that affects the kneecap. It is an injury that is most commonly developed due to muscle weakness in and around the kneecap, as in weak hamstrings or quadriceps, a hard fall, or due to overuse, however depending on the age and specifics of the injury such causes can widely vary. For the younger sufferer, which is also the most common, overuse or a fall may be the likely culprit.

For the older demographic sometimes arthritis of the knee, or the simple matter of the aging process can play into the development of Chrondomalacia. Chrondomalacia can be described as “damage” to the articular cartilage of the kneecap, which is located behind the knee.

The cartilage that is underneath the kneecap is the working connector between the femur and the knee, which enables smooth flex between the two bones. If this cartilage is in working order, a certain “slickness” will be felt when the body flexes the knee.

If Chrondomalacia is a factor, there will be a rough response, which will result in agitation. Such a simple movement as flexing the knee, walking, running, and/or going up or down stairs etc., will be met with unduly friction between the bones and will cause minimal to monumental levels of pain, depending on the consistency of daily movement and the enduring nature of the condition.

While self-diagnosis is never recommended when suffering any kind of pain, symptoms of Chrondomalacia may help in pinpointing the condition, if you have assumptions that you may be suffering from it, or a physician has confirmed it.

Walking down the stairs will be one of the biggest determining factors of Chrondomalacia condition. A deadening pain will be felt from behind the knee, when doing so as well as getting up from a seated, cross-legged position, or climbing a flight of stairs, sidewalk, or walking on any steeply graded surface.

For those that are involved in an active lifestyle, you may want to consider discontinuing the sport until you can begin a rehabilitation program. This condition is most common in soccer players, bicyclists, runners (both long distance and sprinters), and in downhill skiers.

When searching for treatment most Chrondomalacia sufferers will be told to seek out low impact exercises that will prohibit further strain on the knees. Pilates rehabilitation is a great fit for those that suffer from this condition because it will strengthen the injured area as well as the surrounding muscles, all the while gently stretching and building up the muscles that can protect the damaged cartilage from further harm.

When choosing a Pilates rehabilitation instructor to help you with this condition, it is best to choose someone familiar with Chrondomalacia. While Pilates is an excellent form of gentle rehabilitation methods, it also has quite a bit of poses and positions that use the knees as the baseline for the body.

Someone who is familiar and well versed with Chrondomalacia will know that this is not an option for you, and will develop an effective Pilates Chrondomalacia rehabilitation program that can still strengthen the knees, through a series of Pilates work without putting added, and potentially dangerous stress on them.

Pilates Physical Therapy Los Angeles

With sports like golf, repetitive motion over time can cause trauma to the surrounding joints in the elbow, not unlike “tennis elbow”, called Medial Epicondylitis- “golfer’s elbow”.

Small tears in the tendon that surrounds the elbow protecting and supplying the ability for the swinging motion is compromised, and inflammation and pain are side effects.

This is a classic case of an overuse injury, and the flexors in the wrist bear the brunt of the activity. The source of pain will usually be felt by a dull aching sensation on the inside of the elbow.

Certain anti-inflammatory medications may help reduce the pain and swelling of the condition, however hanging up your golf clubs should be the first step towards recovery.

But giving up golf doesn’t need to be the end all for someone who suffers from “golfer’s elbow”, introducing Pilates rehabilitation to your treatment while obtaining from the course will help to fast track the injury from damaged to mended.

Increasing flexibility, reinstating balance, and improving strength to the elbow will be accomplished through such Pilates treatments, with the end goal being whole-body wellness and functionality.

In addition, the muscles in the forearm will be strengthened which helps to counterbalance the usage of the tendons in the elbow, and this overall balance is key to reintroducing a golfer to the game again.

Pilates golf rehabilitation Los Angeles

For those athletes that are consistently involved in sports such as roller, ice hockey and/or soccer they have undoubtedly found that there is a lot of torque required from the body to perform such activities. This “twisting and turning” at high speeds puts hockey and soccer athletes alike, at a high risk for sports hernia.

A sports hernia isn’t by definition the same as other types of hernias. Sports hernia is a severe tearing of the abdominal muscles of the lower abdomen. Very painful, and insidiously common to hockey and sports athletes, a few symptoms may include: pain in the lower abdomen when sneezing or coughing and unilateral pain in the groin.

Some studies have shown that if the pain in the groin lasts longer than eight weeks you may be suffering from sports hernia.

Simon Kemp, MB, BS and Mark Batt, MB wrote in The Physician and Sports Medicine Journal, Volume 26 explaining that the technical occurrence of what happens to the body during the process of sports hernia is quite specific, “these injuries occur because adductor action during sporting activity creates shearing forces across the pubic symphysis that can stress the posterior inguinal wall.”

The pain stemming from sports hernia is most likely to be felt during exercise or during activity more so than dormancy. When an athlete goes to see a doctor, the signs of a typical hernia will not be detectable. This makes sports hernia a fainter version of a definitive hernia injury and can sometimes go unnoticed, unless the doctor is aware of an individual’s involvement with torque heavy sports.

For most patients that suffer from sports hernia, surgery is the byway to recovery. Although not preferred by most athletes, because it deters activity for an indefinite amount of time and also presents the possibility of prolonged recovery that has the potential to modify one’s abilities after the fact, it does address the problem.

However discontinuing hockey or soccer post-surgery doesn’t have to be the case as long as the surgery is successful and the patient has clearance to seek out rehabilitative treatments. Kemp and Batt recommend that anyone who has undergone sports hernia surgery should only seek “structured rehabilitation” which they believe “should enable athletes to return to sports activity 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.”

Pilates is a great rehabilitative addition to an active recovery for a few specific reasons. Sports hernia rehabilitation needs to include conditioning that will provide stability and balance for the hip girdle, while increasing flexibility and strength all throughout the pelvis.

The abdomen has also suffered major trauma and will need to be strengthened through a series of controlled, slow and gentle core exercises. Any jerking or fast paced movement throughout the abdomen is strictly prohibited; making a lot of calisthenics off limits while one is involved in any type of rehabilitative program.

If you are involved in sports activity with a propensity for twisting at high speeds, consider Pilates as a preventative measure as well. Pilates will strengthen the abductors and adductors and will increase flexibility within the hip region while correcting imbalances, which account for the large majority of sports related injuries.

Pilates Rehabilitation Los Angeles Sports Hernia

13050 San Vicente Blvd. #222 . Brentwood . CA . 90049 310. 587. 0085
Monday:

7:00am   Tiffany   Intermediate   9:00am   Danica   Beginning/Intermediate

10:00am   Tiffany   Intermediate

6:30pm   Jennifer  Intermediate/Advanced

Tuesday:

7:00am   Kerri   Intermediate

9:00am   Danielle  Intermediate

10:00am   Kerri   Intermediate

11:00am   Kerri   Intermediate

12:00pm   Danielle  Intermediate* Starts Sept 9th

6:30pm   Craig   Intermediate/Advanced

Wednesday:

7:00am   Tiffany   Intermediate

9:00am   Danica   Beginning/ Intermediate

10:00am   Kerri   Intermediate

11:30am   Tiffany   Intermediate

12:30pm   Barbara  SpringWorks* Starts Sept.17th

5:30pm   Ashley   Advanced

6:30pm   Ashley   Advanced

Thursday:

7:00am   Kerri   Intermediate

9:30am   Danielle  Intermediate

10:30am   Kerri   Intermediate

12:00pm   Danielle  Intermediate* Starts Sept.9th

6:30pm   Craig   Intermediate/Advanced

Friday:

7:00am   Tiffany   Intermediate

9:00am   Danica   Intermediate

10:00am   Tiffany   Intermediate/Advanced

12:30pm   Barbara  SpringWorks* Starts Sept.17th

Saturday:

8:30am   Michael  Beginning/ Intermediate

10:30am   Michael  Intermediate

11:30am   Michael  Intermediate

An interview with Lindy Royer, a professional physical therapist for the last twenty years, sheds a little light on Pilates for fitness versus Pilates for rehabilitation. She says,

“I think the big difference between Pilates for rehabilitation and Pilates for fitness is that the former focuses on getting an individual to a desired state of functional movement, whereas the latter focuses on general athletic or health goals.”

Pilates is a perfect match for those seeking rehabilitation because Pilates is very versatile. It can increase the strength and endurance of a professional football player, yet it can also bring an individual back to the world of functional living after knee surgery or a knee/hip replacement.

The Reformer, which is one of the most common pieces of equipment used in Pilates rehabilitation, can be adjusted to fit the specific needs of any rehab client. The Reformer is an active tool that physical therapists can use for clinical reasoning. They can apply a certain series of movements to a patient, and then adjust the “dose” accordingly upon recovery rate and injury improvement.

Not only does The Reformer improve and heal injuries, it acts as the ramp for those seeking whole body wellness in the long run. This is what makes The Reformer heads and shoulders above other rehabilitation equipment.

Because The Reformer has a potent power to increase overall fitness, this is happening simultaneously as the injury is gently and effectively being healed. The nature of the Reformer movements tone and incorporate all of the muscles of the body at the same time. The goal of all physical therapy is not only to heal the individual but also to reintroduce them to a life of activity much like, if not the same as their former lifestyle.

Since the focus of Pilates can be two-fold, fitness and rehabilitation, these will then become the body’s focal point and this balance of meeting becomes an inexorable force of restoration and vigor.

While moving the body parts simultaneously is a trademark movement in Pilates for fitness, it isn’t as commonly used in Pilates for rehabilitation in the beginning. In Pilates for rehabilitation the focus is on separate compartments of movement.

The body is then broken down into each area of movement that needs attention. As the body becomes more accustomed to that movement, then layers of motion are added to increase mobility within the injured joint and within the surrounding muscles.

Touching on the mind-body connection mentioned before, this is where the deep breathing patterns in Pilates act as the sewing string that binds the slow and controlled movement with the intention of focus. Pilates for rehabilitation and for fitness have many common denominators, but as the factors are separated out they can become two separate forms of Pilates training.

In time they usually can blend into one another creating an entire basis for health and injury, which becomes a cycle of rehabilitation and fitness improvement, a cycle that is not found in any other form of exercise

Pilates has a two-fold purpose. Its ability to meet a client right at the crux of their needs makes it a pliable, approachable, and effectual practice. However the pendulum of Pilates has a large range of swing, and its overarching benefits cover a huge plot of demographic terrain.

Celebrities and athletes can be found in one plain of the ever increasing Pilates interest, whereas a huge population of the injured, elderly, and even those who suffer from neuromuscular diseases such as Parkinson’s disease make up the other.

The methods of Pilates, whether it is applied to fitness or rehabilitation carry the same principles. Core stabilization, increased muscle performance, posture realignment, flexibility, and deep stretching and breathing.

These principles are not only unique to Pilates but are also found in other forms of physical rehabilitation and therapy. The question then begs to ask, what is the difference between Pilates for those seeking fitness and Pilates for those seeking rehabilitation?

Since they both integrate the same movements, and both implement the necessary control over those movements through the same series of exercises, how can it benefit such opposite audiences?

The answer can be found in an exploration of this verses that. Pilates for the fitness community uses the same equipment and standardized movements as those seeking rehabilitation, but the focus of the exercise is on increasing the length and strength of the muscles within the body to create that long, taut, lean body that Pilates is known to produce.

Increasing the worth of everyday movement is of extreme importance. Pilates for fitness encourages its students to become more aware of their everyday posture, gait, sitting and standing positions, and to use the findings as personal inventory to forge a barometer for improvement within the body.

The body desires to operate on the smooth rails of where our joints and bones are supposed to meet and collaborate. However, years of bad postural and health habits in concordance with improper purchases of movement can cause weight gain, depression, lethargy, and muscle imbalances.

This can make the relationship between bone and joint dysfunctional. When the body isn’t running the way it should it makes exercise difficult, and in some cases people abandon the idea that they can even take part. Pilates is gentle on the body and reintroduces common movement with light resistance.

It not only is a great exercise for beginners but it has such a wide range of challenge and difficulty, that it can take years to master some of the Pilates apparatus, and in most cases a lifetime.

Athletic improvement and general health progression is the main focus of Pilates for fitness. Reintroducing a state of ability and upward improvement changes the appearance of the body and marries the body to the mind making health and fitness not just a goal to achieve but a state of mind.

Focus is by and large the line in the sand that separates Pilates for fitness from Pilates for rehabilitation. This is the key we will use to unlock the entire reasoning behind Joseph Pilates staging of the Pilates mind-body connection.

The power of the mind to improve or heal the body comes from the same place of intention, whether that intention is just to look better or to heal serious injury.

Wednesday & Fridays 12:30pm

Starting September 17^th, 2008

WHAT IS SPRINGWORKS®?

SPRINGWORKS® is exercise utilizing the essence of the spring, namely swinging and bouncing, to perform movements at once challenging, fun and highly effective.

In SPRINGWORKS®, the body’s weight is supported by the springs, providing an unprecedented freedom of movement, where muscles and joints are simultaneously strengthened and stretched, from gently to vigorously, accommodating all levels of fitness.

The dangers usually associated with ‘bouncing’ do not occur, since the springs cushion the movements. (Consider the difference between jumping on concrete to bouncing on a trampoline, which incidentally was a major influence in the discovery of SPRINGWORKS®).

Where Pilates uses the springs for resistance, not unlike weight training machines, with SPRINGWORKS® the body works in tandem with the springs. The feel and effect of SPRINGWORKS® is entirely different from other exercising. The tension of pushing and pulling against resistance is replaced by a feeling of buoyancy and power. It puts spring into the body’s core.

It may not seem like the most natural of coupling, when you put the physical act of swimming and Pilates in the same sentence, but some Pilates enthusiasts have referred to Pilates as “underwater ballet”, so what’s the resemblance?

It would seem that the methods of movement must have some similar basis between them, with each offering their won set of distinct and parallel benefits. But how similar is Pilates to the actual movement of swimming, and how does it benefit a swimmer to be involved in Pilates and vice versa?

First of all, professional, competitive and athletic swimmers pride themselves on the core stimulation and calorie consumption that swimming offers. The core muscles used in swimming are not predominately the rectus abdominis muscles (the overlaying abdominal muscles, commonly referred to as the six-pack), but rather incorporate the transverse abdominals in its use of energy.

The transverse abdominis are the underlying muscles, which are harder to target through crunches and cardiovascular exercise alone. Swimming is one of the only aerobic exercises, included with some manner of running styles that does so.

Pilates does claim that its slow and controlled movement, like swimming, instigate the deep burn within the muscles found in the transverse abdominis muscles, but it also claims it’s “contrology” as being the method to rock hard abs, which targets the rectus abdominis. So which is it?

Pilates does utilize the underlining core muscles, but not in the way that swimming actively does, and it’s focus is not only to develop a taut mid-section but also to increase alignment within the body. However, there is a catch 22 with this Pilates fact. For the abdominals to be visible, Pilates alone cannot shed the layers of fat that tends to naturally accumulate on those that have a few extra pounds around the belly.

While Pilates will help you to strength train the hard to reach trunk muscles, only cardio will help you excess the outer layers so that you can see all of your hard work come to the surface.

Swimming is like Pilates in the sense that it is a non-weight bearing exercise and is easy on the joints, but it holds a calorie-burning component that Pilates does not. This one main distinction between Pilates and swimming found in the nature of the exercise is that swimming is an aerobic exercise, Pilates is not.

An hour swimming laps can burn up to 700 calories and hour, if you are swimming moderately paced. An hour of Pilates can burn anywhere from 250-350 calories depending on energy expenditure and body size.

Pilates and swimming are great options for the population of over 40, but also benefits the younger, and even competitive athlete. Everyone struggles with getting enough exercise in their life, but the bigger problem is the lack of balance in the exercises that the general population is participating in. This is where the combination of swimming and Pilates creates a “perfect storm”, for those seeking a certain gentle and rehabilitative approach to whole body wellness.

With so much emphasis on the physical benefits of Pilates it may seem a little abstract to understand and apply the practicality of how Pilates can improve everyday life. If you have done any research on the benefits or have any knowledge about the “Pilates Lifestyle”, I am sure that the “quality of life” has been mentioned and that Pilates has a unique way of improving the tenure of it.

Pilates, isn’t a Zen meditation technique although it has properties of concentration that dabbles in Yoga inspired practices. So the process, by which someone can tap into its practical advocacy, can’t be categorized as simply spiritual or physical.

Imagine looking down the scope of Pilates’ arsenal of health and wellness, to identify it’s practicality you must focus on where the crosshairs meet, this being between the most spiritual sense of who we are and the most physical sense of what we are.

Pilates is not a religion, but rather a belief system, with strong ties to overall peace, wellbeing, and physical fitness. However, not unlike a religion Pilates wasn’t designed by Joseph Pilates just to be an exercise regime to do in a studio and then go about your life.

It’s meant to be a part of your life. As mentioned before, the abstractness of an exercise program being a part of your belief system isn’t common, and isn’t easily understood without some sort of spiritual motivation. Under the umbrella of “sedentary salvation”, an explanation of Pilates ability to transform one’s life isn’t as “hallelujah” as it may seem.

Mary Bowen, one of the originating elders of Pilates, puts it this way, “As I practice, teach and observe (the Pilates Method), there is always a spiritual uplift and buoyancy that comes from the work. Moreover, spirit is everywhere, isn’t it? The body is a house of spirit. Joseph and Clara Pilates knew and lived that.”

The key concept in order to first understand the practical application of Pilates, outside of a Pilates studio, can be found in the everyday mishaps or inconveniences we are all encounter on a daily basis. Getting cut off in traffic, getting lost in a new side of town while you were already running late, or finding out that you got outbid in the last few minutes of your EBay auction. How we react in life says so much more about who we are, than the situations we often find ourselves privy to.

If we allow pockets of anxiety to build up, our muscles and bones will be the ones that bear the brunt of the physiological strain. Pilates helps redirect this reactionary effect through the course of breathing techniques.

Breathing is a huge component in reconnecting with our thoughts on a deeper level. The health benefits that Pilates brings to the entire physiological networking of our bodies enables us to use our breath as it was meant to be, a life giving source.

When we listen to our breathing, we are acknowledging that our breath is the entire outlet by which we exist. This type of respect and awareness to our breath will then help us regulate emotion and incorporate a deeper sense and understanding of self.

If the operative word in the question, “Will Pilates help me lose weight?” is help, then Pilates most definitely, without a doubt assist in weight loss. Some of the people, who are searching for new ways to shed pounds, look for the next miracle pill or other quick fix.

So just to be certain that Pilates isn’t a part of that diet and exercise misconception, let’s remember- there are no quick fixes. There are no miracle workouts, smoothies, pills, or creams. Good old-fashioned hard work pays off, and Pilates is an excellent workout that will yield dramatic benefits and results.

However, as with any new exercise it needs to be done with careful consideration and proper assistance. A Pilates instructor will guide you along in your workouts, help you plot goals, achieve new levels of physicality, and develop a pattern into which your body can safely and effectively respond. Because Pilates uses all of the muscles within the body statically and simultaneously, it is strengthening and lengthening the muscles with ease and gentility all at the same time.

The one “miracle” of sorts about Pilates is that its workout feels different to the body than traditional exercise. It may even feel like you are not doing enough in your Pilates session, if you are used to a certain type of strenuous workout. Because of the exercises unique ability to work the muscles in a functional capacity, you may or may not notice the work being done, even thought you are working. For those that don’t like to feel strained or have a lower tolerance for endurance activity and pain during their workouts, Pilates may be a great option for you.

Don’t get me wrong, Pilates is a hard workout! If you don’t necessarily “feel it” in the duration of the work, you will most definitely feel it the next day. The deep muscles that used in the integration of the various body positions, will shock the body, since those muscles usually lie dormant unless called upon by certain core strengthening positions. Those certain core strengthening positions, Pilates offers in spades.

In addition to Pilates not being a quick fix for weight loss, there is always the need for balance in any exercise program. When Pilates is coupled with cardiovascular exercise, this combination of calorie burning fuel and deep muscle strength training will result in a lean taut body, and will increase the rate at which your body metabolizes calories.

While Pilates isn’t a cardiovascular or a “muscle building” workout it does tone the muscles, making them stronger and increasing their ability to endure. The more muscle fibers there are in the body, the more calories the body will burn even at rest.

Pilates can help you lose weight and will tone your body in ways you never imagined possible. Because the effort your body puts forth in a single session is so concentrated, it may feel like you are not “doing” enough. The results will speak for themselves, and you will see that focused effort in smaller doses is better than sporadic efforts in larger bursts.

With attention to your diet and consistent participation in cardiovascular exercise 3-5 times a week, Pilates may be that key that will retrain your brain to think of exercise as a functional way to increase the quality and health of your life, instead of a separate entity to help you simply lose weight.