Therapeutic Pilates
At Garner Pelvic Health, we use a variety of modalities to treat our patients. Pilates can be very beneficial for pelvic health for both men and women.Â
What is Pilates?
Pilates is named after Joseph Pilates, born around 1890 in Germany, who established his technique of exercise, based on all of the exercise techniques that existed in his day, around 1915. After WW1, he immigrated to the US, settling in New York City at the request of a famous boxer who needed Joseph’s skills for fitness training. Joseph met his wife, Clara, a nurse, on the boat over to the US.Â
Joseph taught exercises on the mat, teaching basic principles of posture, alignment, and breathing. He incorporated his mat exercises into moving and resistive exercises for total body strengthening, stretching, and core and pelvic floor conditioning after inventing his unique exercise equipment, modeled on bunk beds, and bed springs. Multiple movement patterns, coordination, and concentration were required throughout the exercise routine. Joseph and his wife worked with athletes, celebrities, circus performers, and ballet dancers.
Why Is Doing Pilates Important?
Pilates provides a total body exercise program that improves functional movement patterns in a progressive fashion. Pilates used the term “Body Contrology” which means utilizing good form, diaphragmatic breathing, and concentration during the exercise routine. The increased ability to focus carries on in your daily life and throughout your life, even as you age. Repetitions are kept at a low level so that you can exercise daily without muscle soreness.
How Is It Different From Yoga?
Joseph Pilates studied Yoga and also knew others who were developing new movement methods, such as Alexander and Feldenkrais. When you do the Pilates exercises, you will see that Yogic breathing is integrated into the movement patterns. Yoga poses are also moving poses on the Pilates reformer.
How Does Therapeutic Pilates Help Pelvic Health Issues?
People with pelvic floor issues, inflammatory disease, stress, histories of trauma, pelvic girdle, Osteoporosis, Kypho Scoliosis, Osteoarthritis, and Hip Labral Tears need stability, and strength of the core and pelvic floor, to prevent, and reduce the effects of incontinence, and pelvic pain.Â
What We Offer At Garner Pelvic Health
- Postural Re-education – hold good posture and breathe the entire time during the session.
- Orthopedic exercises – to improve joint stability and mobility utilizing a Medical Therapeutic Yoga/Pilates-based approach.
- Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing – for Core Conditioning, Meditation/Relaxation of the pelvic floor, and stimulation of the Lymphatic/immune system.
- Strengthening and lengthening in functional positions used for everyday living.
- Concentration with practice utilizing more complex movement patterns, static and dynamic.
- Initial Training – to help promote the daily practice of Yoga and Pilates on a lifelong basis.
- Development of new habits for good posture, symmetry, pelvic floor stability, and trunk elongation.

Examples of Specific Applications Of Pilates
- Weakness of the Pelvic Floor/Incontinence.
- Interstitial Cystitis and Endometriosis: Opening up the posture, chest wall, throat, and pelvic floor, relaxation of guarding muscles through diaphragmatic breathing and stretching.
- Hip, Pelvis, and Spine degenerative disorders: Improving alignment of the joints, strength, and stability in a safe gravity-eliminated position, strengthening the legs and feet on the core.
- Constipation: encouraging movement, and stimulation of the digestive system, through stomach massage (yoga-based) on the Pilates reformer and the Pilates 100’s, segmental movement patterns, and breathing techniques.
- Weight and body contour management.
Contact Us Today
At Garner Pelvic Health, we help you to move toward, a new “Body Design” through traditional Physical Therapy blended with Integrative Lifestyle Wellness and Mind Body Disciplines. Please contact us today for more information on how we use Therapeutic Pilates in our clinic. You can schedule a free consultation with one of our practitioners to learn more.Â