Clinical Exercise (formerly Clinical Pilates), what’s so good about it?
What is the difference between Clinical Exercise and Clinical Pilates?
Clinical classes are run by fully trained physiotherapists. Physiotherapists spend 4-6 years studying in depth anatomy and biomechanics in order to learn why and how the body should move. We then use these skills to assess injuries and how best to rehabilitate them.
Pilates has been well studied as a successful mode of rehab in particular for those with neck and back pain, but can be used for most injuries. Our Clinical Exercise classes are capped at a maximum of 6 participants, meaning that each person will be closely supervised in order to prevent poor quality execution of exercises and prevent further injury.
Each participant will perform their own individual program that has been designed by our Shepparton physiotherapist, in order to address areas of weakness or correct poor movement patterns. The tailored program is progressed once quality movement has been achieved. It is important to understand that at different stages of your life that your body adapts to increasing load differently and therefore progressions are carefully thought out by your physio.
Physios are also able to account for recent relapses or ‘flare ups’ of injury and alter your program accordingly to prevent further irritation. Physios are also able to manage multiple injuries and find a way to keep you exercising safely. We also have many clients who just like to exercise for general fitness under the supervision of a physiotherapist. For those who fall into more vulnerable groups eg pregnant, returning to exercise post pregnancy, returning to exercise post major surgery or illness, physiotherapists can also account for changes in your anatomy, physiology and load tolerance to design an appropriate program.
For these reasons group physio classes is one of the only classes that are still funded by private health insurance companies as per the new government regulations.
What is a reformer and why is it so popular?
Joseph Pilates was the inventor of Pilates and one of the machines he developed to practice Pilates is called the Reformer. A Reformer has a carriage which is flat platform
d skill. You may have heard that Pilates is a great way to train your core. With the Reformer the carriage which rolls along the frame and the springs that can be changed to provide more or less support which will challenge stability and core strength. The Reformer is designed in such a way that muscle is built but joints do not feel the same type of load that traditional exercise can place in them. Therefore people find that they can challenge their body more in Pilates and build strength easier. Our Shepparton physio can change how much of your body is supported by the Reformer which will change how much support your body will need to provide to perform the exercise.
and rolls back and forth on a frame. The carriage is attached to one end by springs that provide differing levels of resistance. The reformer also has straps that you can use to push or pull with your arms or legs.
One of the great advantages of the Reformer is that due to it’s versatility and design you can exercise is many different positions and it is adjustable for individual body types an
To summarise reformers are popular for a few reasons:
-it’s versatility means exercises can be tailored to many different fitness levels
-it’s gentle, many exercises can be performed lying down, sitting or standing. They are generally low impact however still count as ‘weightbearing exercise’ in most instances.
-it can also be really challenging, as your awareness and core strength improves the more challenging exercises you can master.
-there is much research to prove that Clinical Pilates is very beneficial in many musculoskeletal injuries, particularly neck and low back pain.
-Sophie Woodhouse
Physiotherapist Shepparton
GV Sportscare
Shepparton 
Most people are surprised to find that their physio or podiatrist is very keen to get them off crutches ASAP. In severe ankle sprains or suspected fractures, crutches are required, however in the mild to moderate ankle sprain crutches will actually slow down your recovery. Crutches reduce the weightbearing through the joint (which is a good thing if there is too much pain and damage). However in a mild to moderate injury it is unnecessary and will cause you to lose movement and strength, which you will need to work harder to regain as part of your rehab. Your Shepparton Physio or Podiatrist are able to assess your injury and guide you as to whether or not crutches are required and work with you to wean you off them!
The sooner you can be seen by your Podiatrist or Physio the better. When we waste a few days with the wrong management you are slowing down your recovery. Most people think injuries are a time based recovery, ie I have sustained a grade one ankle sprain therefore I will be back to sport in 2 weeks. This is partly true, injuries require healing and that takes time. However from our point of view your return to sport or activity is mostly based on ticking off certain criteria. For example can you raise onto your toes, can you stand on one leg, can you hop, can you run, etc. If you can’t do these things it doesn’t matter if your two weeks has passed, you are still not ready to return to activity. We then base our rehab on what you can and can’t do and aim to progress you on as quickly as possible. 
In the first 48-72 hours of your injury it is recommended to avoid anti inflammatories such as ibuprofen (Neurofen) and Voltaren. This is because the inflammation that occurs is your body’s response to injury and it actually brings 
One of the biggest risk factors for future ankle sprain is previous ankle sprain. While those with mild ankle sprains will likely manage to get back to sport, the issue we commonly see is that the injury has caused a loss of range of motion, strength, balance or coordination on that side. Therefore you can understand how even though you have returned to sport that these deficiencies can result in subsequent ankle sprains and more time away from the sport that you love! With simple assessment and exercises we can get you on track to work on these deficiencies and therefore reduce your risk of future ankle injury!
