Two former students, Carola Trier and Bob Seed were the first to open up their own studios. Joe had personally assisted Carola in opening her studio in the late 1950’s before his death. Carola was a dancer whom Joe helped rehabilitate from a non-stage related injury. They were very close up until his death. Bob Seed, on the other hand, was a former hockey player, and obviously still in dire need of a little competition. He went head to head with his once mentor, by scheduling his studio hours to coincide with Joe’s. The potential for Joe’s clients to be lured away by someone he had trained didn’t go over well. Apparently, a gun-wielding Joe put an end to that with a little visit to Mr. Seed, warning him to get out of the city. Which Mr. Seed did. And quickly!

While Clara continued to manage the original “Pilates” studio in New York City, students Bruce King and Robert Fitzgerald opened theirs in other parts of the city.

However, New York City was no longer the only place where you could study Pilates. The ever growing “mind-body concept” began to spread all across North America. Just months before Joe’s death in 1967, students Kathy Grant and Lolita San Miguel, were “certified” by Joe himself. They are considered to be the only Pilates instructors to do so. Lolita opened her own studio at the Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Eve Gentry, who studied as well as taught “at Joe’s”, opened her own studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mary Bowen opened her studio in Northampton, Massachusetts.

One past student in particular, Ron Fletcher, who studied under Joe to aide a chronic knee injury, opened his Los Angeles studio in 1970. The temperature of the social climate in Hollywood made Pilates an instant hit, falling right in step with the social elite and celebrities alike.

The 1980’s and 1990’s donned the era in which more and more people were made aware of Pilates. With the media abuzz, the newly founded exercise began to boom. Celebrities had set the trend for the practice and everyone else was following.

Today, Pilates has gained exponential popularity with all facets of the general public. It is no longer an exercise for the rich and famous, but has become widely accessible to people of all ages and origins. Ironically, what began in an infirmary at the peak of World War I has become a staple in the lifestyle-wellness of many Americans. Before Joe had passed away he is famous for having said, “I am fifty years ahead of my time”, this not only proved to be true but also set the powers-at-be in motion for the success and longevity of the study of Pilates.

Upon a transfer to another “camp”, he became the hospital intern. Joe claimed that his training methods had healing and restorative components, so he was assigned to the patients that needed treatment for wartime diseases as well as the incarcerated. His ideas about how to combine strength training with natural movement led him to experimentation and invention. He devised spring rigged hospital beds, which he believed to be the basis for his patient’s recovery. Daily routines could be executed from their hospital room and the exercises were rigorous enough that it quickly progressed their health.

He refined his machines during his time in these “camps”. The evolution of these first contraptions would later be the basis for all “Pilates” equipment. Up until that point he had been using his own body weight and strength to assist patients. In order to preserve his body, he further developed his system of pulleys and springs. With the machines implementing a natural “push and pull” maneuver, the patients noticed a gaining of lean muscle mass and increased strength.

In 1918 a wide spread epidemic killed tens of thousands of England’s residents. In the aftermath of the influenza a pattern occurred in all of Joe’s patients, they survived! He considered this to be the jumping off point to solidify his life enhancing practices.

He has said that to do his “contrology” correctly you must, “…concentrate on movement. You must always do it slowly and smoothly. Then your whole body is in it.” After the miraculous survival of his patients, in the year 1925, he began using his machines with his clients on a regular basis.

Joe was asked by the German army to transfer but he declined. He then decided that it was time to leave Germany indefinitely. He immigrated to the United States in 1926. On that voyage he met Clara, who would become his wife and business partner.

They settled into New York City and opened a studio in the same building that housed the New York City Ballet. This was the first introduction of Joe Pilates to America. The proverbial handshake went over well, and Pilates quickly became a popular practice with the New York City Ballet students. Since Pilates is rooted in rehabilitation, dancers found his practices to be extremely beneficial in keeping their muscles and joints “limber”, as well as being the prefect medicine for their sports and stage related injuries.

Once Joe Pilates passed away in 1967, there was potential for his life’s inspiration to fade away too, since he left no will to speak of. Quite the contrary happened.

Sports Massage incorporates similar massage techniques as other forms of massage, but it also includes hydrotherapy treatments, flexibility stretching, and even some strength training principles. Fro any athletic regime sports massage can add that extra ingredient that will aide in developing a complete balanced workout. Athletes that participate in high performance sports and who integrate spots massage into their routine are going to reap the reconstructive benefits that sport massage offers.

Athletics are hard on the body, and a total conditioning program needs to be balanced with something that will enable safe and effective recovery in-between training. When a body is continually pushed beyond its limits sports massage can be the additional remedy in which to curb stiffness and soreness. Sports Massage can also initiate a faster recovery time and relieve those strains that could ultimately lead to injury.

Sports massage stimulates circulation within the venous system of the body, as well as uses muscle friction and compression to alleviate knots and tightness within the body, preventing some overuse injuries and pain. Trigger points are most times the culprit of soreness and can be attributed for someone who has a smaller range of flexibility. These sore spots within the muscles exude pain when pressed and which can affect larger areas of the muscle if not attended to. Sports massage directly approaches the issue at hand, and is quoted as using “specific application…to achieve a specific goal”

There are different levels and techniques found in sports massage, each one have different purposes and outcomes. These four types are specifically designed to meet a clients needs wherever the find themselves in the spectrum of athleticism.

Pre-event Sports Massage is usually much shorter in length than other types of sports massage. This type of massage is most commonly administered a few days or even hours before the activity. In the case of the runner before a race, the hamstrings and quadriceps might be the main focus, since this type of massage tends to be more isolated to one area of the body. Whatever area of the body is most likely the part that will bear the brunt of the strenuous activity, will most likely be worked on.

Post Event Sports Massage is one that takes place within an hour or two of the activity, and allows for immediate tension release. Its benefit is that it alleviates the affects of onset muscle soreness that usually will occur 24-48 hours after the event takes place. Restorative Sports Massage can happen in the middle of training or partaking in an activity. Most professional athletes will have sports massage therapist awaiting them on the sidelines for a quick restorative massage between plays. Rehabilitative Sports Massage is a type of massage focused on restoring an already injured part of the body, and coaxing it back into balance within the body.

A bulging disk is therefore considered a secondary condition and is usually only identified through diagnostic image tests or routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Postural imbalances can add to the potential of a bulging disk, and since Pilates based rehab is exceptional in realigning the spine and heightening body awareness it is a great alleviator of the condition. Rudimentary movements that are executed improperly over time cause injuries. Steps need to be taken to rectify faulty postures, and to lubricate joints through increase flexibility exercises, and Pilates is one of those most important steps.

One case study from Rehab Management Journal found that a client who suffered from a bulging disc greatly decreased the severity of her condition once she introduced Pilates based rehab into her rehabilitation regime. Her pain level on a scale of 1-10 was a 7 at the beginning of her treatments, after 12 sessions she had lowered that pain scale to 4. Pain limited this client’s range of motion and she was charted at only having 15% of her flexibility at the beginning of treatment. After the twelve sessions her range of motion around the area had increased 35 degrees. For her rehabilitation it was found that soft tissue work and joint mobilization greatly improved her condition as well as alleviated pain.

By engaging the whole body in a quest to address a bulging disk, an entirely new rhythm of everyday activity is found. Pilates based rehab introduces an energy efficient methodology of movement that will change the way you pick up a box or run a mile. Its wellness proponents are easy on the joints and especially on the lower back where a bulging disk may be occurring. This makes it a perfect addition to any lower back or spinal abnormality rehabilitation program.

The advantage to participating in a low-impact recovery program, like a Pilates based rehabilitation program, is that for a bulging disk the area may be inflamed and even be painful. Yet it can be addressed without adding to the level of discomfort that one may feel during the exercises themselves. The exercises found in Pilates based rehab highlight gliding motions, incorporate purposeful and effective breathing patterns.

Since the low back is found within the trunk of the body, it is essential for long term recovery that the core muscles are used and strengthened. When the muscles within the trunk of the body are weak that is when an individual is at the greatest risk for developing harmful and improper postural alignment and muscular imbalances, which can result in a bulging disk.

If someone has this condition it can be overlooked or go unnoticed until an injury takes place, or reacts to chronic overuse, or takes part in compulsive exercise forcing the underdeveloped synovial tissue to become inflamed which in turn becomes Plica Syndrome.

The first need for those who suffer from this syndrome is a sound plan of attack to reduce the inflammation. First, strength exercises needed to be introduced through a form of rehabilitation. Pilates’ rehabilitation is a gentle way to dive into strengthening weakened or imbalanced muscles in the upper and lower leg without putting further pressure on the injured area. The muscle groups that need the most attention when it comes to increasing strength and taking the pressure off of the knee are the quadriceps, the hamstring, and the calf.

The backbone of Pilates’ rehabilitation is to understand the modality by which our bodies were made to design properly, and how to introduce those methods into a daily exercise regime in order to reestablish homeostasis in the body and all of it’s connecting parts. Pilates is rooted in progressive resistance exercise, which allows for injury assimilation gradually, while increasing the overall health of the mind and body.

Common injuries for runners aren’t just isolated to the knee or the foot; the entire lower body can suffer from the aftermath. Common causes of injury can be overtraining, inconsistent stretching, or the neglect of cross training. Some injuries by name that runners suffer from are: hip bursitis, snapping hip syndrome, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, hip stress fractures, pulled hamstrings, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, overpronation, arch pain, dislocated knee cap, strained sciatica, ankle sprains, etc.

The problem with orthopedic injuries is that once made, they are notorious for plaguing a runner for the rest of their life. Surgery is one alternative to fixing an “off-line” gait, or injured lower body strain, sprain or fracture however, surgery can sometimes add to the problem and end a runner’s route indefinitely. Perhaps the best way to approach orthopedic injuries is to tally up the most effective preventive strategies so that one can safeguard themselves against the most common mistakes that runners make.

Inflexibility in men is extremely common, especially in the hip girdle. This can create tension and tightness in the joints, and makes male runners perform with a higher potential risk of strain on the lower body. Another problem for male runners is that they tend to see stretching as “girlie”. This is a blanket observation, and some of the more precautionary male runners probably understand the importance of flexibility in the everyday training, but others may skip the deeper stretching that can be found in cross training classes such as Pilates.

Pilates is not only a great preventative measure for runners and can curb their laundry list of potential injuries, it is also a great way to incorporate cross training into a runner’s regime. Pilates utilizes the “core” muscles in a deep and sustained way. When the core is engaged, and used in conjunction to running, there is an additional purchase of balanced that is used throughout the body. This is called “neuromuscular control”. When a runner has control over his movements, he is better equipped to prevent injury. Great neuromuscular control has been noted to prevent ACL injury and common ankle sprains.

If prevention is the “A” in a scale of non-serious to serious orthopedic injuries, then rehabilitation can be considered the “Z”. Orthopedic injuries need to be healed gently and over time, while slowly incorporating activity back into the injured areas. This is where Pilates rehabilitation becomes just what the doctor ordered and the athlete needs.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that is incredibly painful, because it is the most uncomfortable when the body is in movement. This causes extreme stress on the joints as a result of the thinning and wearing down of the cartilage within the body. Wherever a joint meets a bone there is a potential danger for osteoarthritis. While not commonly categorized as a “sports injury”, osteoarthritis directly targets and negatively affects those that desire to live very active lifestyles.

Mostly osteoarthritis is treated with pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications, but there is another active relief that will keep osteoarthritis pain at bay while keeping a healthy lifestyle and fit physique at the top of the “aging athletes” injury prevention list.

Pilates is an excellent form of rehabilitation for those suffering from osteoarthritis. And here’s why: Stretching is key to the overall well being of your body’s health. It is very common that lifetime athletes invested a lot of time in pushing the limits of their body, elevating their hearts, increasing times, jumping higher, swimming faster, and hardly taking days off for recovery however recovery and stretching is king when it comes to maintaining overall health. Even some of the most attuned athletes still don’t make stretching a priority, even though they have heard the sermon a thousand times.

If osteoarthritis is a problem, now is the time to take the out your dusty notes and begin adding active stretching to your routine. Once you feel the relief of Pilates, you will wonder why you didn’t make it a priority on a very consistent basis.

Deep stretching, like all forms found in Pilates, releases important nutrients into your body, particularly into the tendons and the muscles. These nutrients help keep your body healthy and also help minimize the risk of injury that can be caused when the chemistry within the body is lacking the proper balance.

Pilates will soothe the pain that causes suffering. Lengthening the body through a series of Pilates circuits, whether that is mat Pilates or machine Pilates, will allow a safe and effective “use” of the injured areas. As a result these areas will be “worked out”, addressing locked joints, tight muscles, and trouble spots and releasing the tension therein. This type of active stretching is gentle for those that suffer from the condition, but also allow for movement within the joints keeping them engaged in activity without the pain of high impact exercise.

One other thing that Pilates does in the way of helping an aging athlete, is that it’s deep stretching will help fight fatigue that most osteoarthritis injuries can cause. Being alert, and able to live your life pain free while maintaining an active lifestyle is an ideal position for you to be in. Pilates is the portal that is standing between you and a life of eliminated tension.

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 rehabilitation program that can still strengthen the knees, through a series of Pilates work without putting added, and potentially dangerous stress on them.

Physical therapy is also a great pairing in the recovery process with R.I.C.E. Having programs designed to improve the condition, with the focus being on active recovery, greatly benefits those will knee injuries in the long run. When the knee is prompted to engage in safe yet effective exercises it will be able to acclimate to normal activity much faster and with more ease than just rest alone can give. The goal of physical therapy is to reintroduce a person to their previous active lifestyle, without the injury continuing to get worse, or never fully healing.

Pillates-based rehab has also had much success as an added step in the process of healing knee injuries. Because of its gentle approach to healing, Pilates-based rehab allows for the entire body to be active while a patient may still be in recovery. Muscular imbalances are one of the leading causes of knee injuries, and Pilates aims to retrain the body’s functionality to work as one cohesive unit. This provides an avenue for not only the injury to improve but also drastic improvements will be made in postural habits, quality of movement, mind-body connection, and core strength.

When it comes to specific conditions like Chrondomalcia, physical therapy and Pilates act as viable treatment options as well.  Physicians will often recommend low impact activity, such a cycling, swimming, walking, and Pilates and yoga. Surgery is of course an option, but if a holistic approach is preferred, since may patients wish to forego the invasiveness of a procedure these low-impact exercises will help improve the condition without surgery.

For torn ligaments such as the ACL, PCL, and LCL it is important to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injury. Since rigorous or weight bearing activity is strictly discouraged, it can be somewhat challenging to improve strength surrounding the injury without furthering the damage in the area of concern. With the exercises and modalities that physical therapy and Pilates based rehab offer, a client can heal the injury and increase the overall health of their body at the same time. While the exercises, poses, and movements in Pilates and physical therapy are challenging to the body and build strength, they avoid the risk that more conventional forms of exercise and training may impose.

There are many causes of knee injuries, but proper alignment, heightened body awareness and core strengthening when balanced with low impact cardio, will result in a lower chance of a knee injury in an individual.

The most common cause of a knee injury is sports related. Any recreational activity that involves kicking, stopping, twisting, or turning heightens the chances of a strain. However, arthritis of the knees, Osteoporosis, the natural aging process, and poor health habits are also big factors in a knee injury cause.

The knee is the largest joint in the body. Since it is so, there is a cushion of cartilage surrounding the knee, which absorbs shock from impact from sudden changes of movement or weight bearing exercises. With the knee being the biggest joint in the body there is more cartilage surrounding the joint, and therefore creates a higher potential for tearing in some cases. In addition to more cartilage, tendons as well as muscles surround the knee. Where the upper leg and the lower leg meet, the knee acts as the hinge between the two bones. The femur is the upper leg bone, and the tibia and fibula are the lower leg bones.

Ligament issues rank among the top types of knee injuries and happen quite often. When an athlete does stop short, or change the body’s direction quickly, sometimes the force of motion can cause for torn ligaments within the knee. There are a few ligaments in the knee that can be affected by this type of injury. Familiar terms for what type of ligament is most often injured in this instance are the anterior cruciate ligament (which is commonly known as the ACL), the medial collateral posterior cruciate ligaments (PCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL).

Another condition called Chondromalacia is a great threat to knee health. Underneath the kneecap, a deterioration of the cartilage occurs which leads to a softening of the knee joint. This can develop from blunt trauma to the knee, muscular imbalances, overuse, or improper alignment of the kneecap. When “friction” is found in and around the kneecap, pain begins to become a part of the everyday routine. With this condition, walking down stairs, hills, or bending the knee will always be followed by a dull pain. The uncomfortable sensation of “rubbing” that takes place under the kneecap will worsen as you age, as well as if you are trying to maintain the same level of activity previous to an injury.

An inflammation of the tendons can occur from overuse, this is technically called tendonitis. This cause of knee injuries will be accompanied by tenderness in the knee, right where the cap (patella) meets the bone of the leg. This is also called “Jumpers Knee” and sometimes happens from quick or sudden impact, movements, or just general fatigue. On the heels of tendonitis, if a tingling or burning sensation runs itself along the inside of the knee, it may be Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which is another type of knee injury.