Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
Volume 10, Issue 4 , Pages 328-334, October 2006

Who are the people looking for the Pilates method?

  • Marcelo von Sperling de Souza, B.Sc. in Physical Therapy, Pilates practitioner

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +553132910215; fax: +553133359491.
    • ,
  • Claudiane Brum Vieira, B.Sc., M.Sc. in Physical Education, B.Sc. in Physical Therapy, Pilates practitioner, Polestar/Physio Pilates educator

Conego Rocha Franco Street, 235/200, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 30430-000, Brazil

Received 14 September 2005; received in revised form 18 October 2005; accepted 23 October 2005.

Summary 

The Pilates Method, a body–mind exercise approach originally developed by Joseph Pilates, is becoming widely popular, although without a concomitant development of scientific research. The purpose of this paper is to describe Pilates clients’ characteristics, their goals regarding the Method and the prevalence and intensity of musculoskeletal pain among them. Three hundred and twenty-seven subjects were assessed before participation in Pilates exercises started. Variables of interest were age, sex, main goals with the Method, participation in physical activities, assistance by health professionals, main areas of musculoskeletal pain and subjective pain intensity. The results reveal that the majority of Pilates clients are middle-aged women who did not participate regularly in other exercise activities and who had some complaint of musculoskeletal pain. Despite high pain prevalence, only about one quarter of our sample sought the Pilates Method specifically for rehabilitation. This reveals a large patient population in which Pilates-based rehabilitation may be applicable.

Keywords: Rehabilitation, Exercise, Clients, Pilates

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S1360-8592(05)00128-2

doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2005.10.005

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
Volume 10, Issue 4 , Pages 328-334, October 2006

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution