Scars Unite us

Scars Unite Us

The first time I went to a Body Control Pilates class, I was walking badly, with the help of a walking stick, after having spinal decompression surgery two months earlier.  My teacher Jenny Sedona-Glover (Miss Jenny) remembers me hobbling in and my terrible awkward posture.  I now attend a back health class every week, working out on her amazing Pilates machines.  My posture and walking have improved considerably, I no longer need to use my walking stick as much. I have banished my bingo wings and the continued work outs have improved the muscle strength in my legs.  I have gained some great new friends and we all have one thing in common.  A scar on our lower backs from surgery.  My back health class friends don’t mind me moaning about my pain and we all understand the difficulties our back problems give us in our daily lives.

 

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 and he developed a set of exercises to improve his frail physique, teaching them to his fellow soldiers during the war.  On his return he got involved in dance after meeting Rudolph von Alban, the originator of ‘Labanotation’, which is the most widely, used form of dance notation.  Hanya Holm included many of his exercises in her programme and, to this day, they are still part of the celebrated ‘Holm Technique’. At the same time as working with dancers, Joseph Pilates was also instructing the Hamburg police force in self-defence!

He was asked to train the army but decided instead to emigrate to America, where he met his future wife, and they set up a fitness centre together in the same building as the New York school of Ballet.

He soon became renowned by the top dancers, actors, sportspeople, and the wealthy of Hollywood for his workouts that built strength without adding bulk, balancing the strength with flexibility, and achieving the perfect harmony between mind and muscle.

 

 It became the preferred method of training for sportspeople and stars in the entertainment industry.

Until the 1990’s Pilates was unknown, now millions of classes are held every week in the US, UK and around the world.  Body Control Pilates was founded by Lynne Robinson in 1996, she quickly became known as ‘the Queen of Pilates’.  She is the world’s top selling Pilates author and presenter in over 30 countries.  In August 1995 she brought in a national standard for Pilates matwork in the UK.  She has worked with many celebrities and sportspeople and since 2009 has been regularly working with Chelsea Football club.

 

Similar to Lynne I was recommended to take up Pilates, to help me with my severe back problems, by my Orthopaedic consultant.  I started doing a matwork class in the evenings, but after falling in my kitchen at home and fracturing my sacrum, Jenny suggested I came along to a new Back Health class she was starting on a Friday afternoon.  It has been a revelation for me, I have found I can exercise safely, without causing anymore damage to my back.  I get to use the Pilates Machines, a reformer and Cadillac, which are simply incredible and clever.  When you look at them at first they look strange and clinical, but when you realise what they can do,

 

 

 

you cannot wait until the next class to use them again.  It’s not been easy, some weeks I have been in so much pain, I can hardly walk, but Jenny encourages me still to exercise, tailoring each movement to my own body’s requirements. 

I love my arm workouts, using the reformer machine, which has helped to banish my flabby bingo wings, replacing them with toned muscular arms. This is something that creeps up on you, when you are not supposed to lift anything much at all.  I still do not do my weekly shopping, choosing to have it delivered instead, as all the reaching bending, lifting and carrying leaves me virtually unable to walk and in a lot of pain.

 I always joke in my classes, that I need strong arm muscles in case I ever have to push myself in a wheelchair.  In the summer though I can now wear strapless dresses with pride.  

At my current Back Class, we all compare our scars with curiosity.  Belinda’s is the most recent and longest after having Spinal fusion for her degerantive disc problems. We are all amazed at her progress as she returned to Pilates, seven weeks after her operation.  The Spinal team all commented on how strong her back muscles were from her workouts.   

 

 Cathy had a herniated disc, so she had a discectomy operation trimming off part of her disc that was herniated and pressing on her sciatic nerve.  She continues to come to the classes as they are the only thing helping her to keep the pain at bay.

 

I have Spinal Stenosis and had a Spinal decompression surgery in Jan 2009.    This involved them drilling my canal space back open, as it had degenerated and closed

inwards in two places of my vertebrae, this caused pressure on my sciatic nerve and gave me some terrible problems with walking.  We all have different spinal problems but our scars unite us.

 

Jenny owns the Mercury Dance Academy and is a fully qualified dance teacher and she has been dancing from the age of 5 years old, discovering Pilates through her dance training.   As well as running a popular dance school, Jenny is a Level 3 B.C.P.A Pilates instructor.  She has been teaching Pilates for over 24 years and is currently teaching two Olympic Champions and will continue to do so until the 2012 Olympics.  Pilates has many benefits and Jenny uses it to treat Chronic Back Pain and spinal injuries, rehabilitation after injury, Pelvic floor dysfunction (incontinence), Ante Natal Pilates, Post Natal Pilates, Male only classes and classes for Athletes.

She has an immense knowledge of anatomy and how Pilate’s exercises can improve your health and well being.

It just goes to show that whatever your medical problem or situation, Pilates can benefit you and exercise is good for your body.  I am proof of that.