What actually is Pilates?

Has anyone ever suggested that you try Pilates, however you really don’t know what Pilates is? If you don’t really know what it is, how could you know if Pilates will help you?

The newest member of the CHP team, Dr. Ciara Petry, is a certified Pilates Instructor and specializes in helping, in addition to being a physical therapist. She utilizes Pilates in her physical therapy practice and within her performance training services for her clients in Bethesda and Chevy Chase. She even uses Pilates during her virtual physical therapy sessions! We are so grateful that she was kind enough to share this information with us.

Pilates is can be described as a conscious way back into our bodies, better connecting the mind and body. Pilates focuses on body alignment, controlled movement, and breathing. Joseph H. Pilates developed this movement system with the goal of improving the ability of the deep muscles of the body to guide and control movement.

Classic Pilates does not require any fancy equipment can be easily be performed on a mat. The focus of a typical session will be on quality of movement versus quantity (number of reps, amount of weight, etc.). Spinal movements, a properly engaged core, shoulder and pelvic stability, breathing, and working with oppositional energy are all key to Pilates work.

Contrary to popular belief, Pilates is very different from Yoga and it is important to understand these differences so that you can choose the right activity for you and your goals.

Yoga was founded as a sacred tradition over 5,000+ years ago with a focus on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Yoga is a meditative practice, where Pilates is not, and follows a sequence of poses that are often held for long periods of time to increase short-term flexibility.

Pilates was founded in the 1920’s with a focus on strengthening of the core, improvement of posture, stabilization and elongation of the spine, and development of balance and overall strength. Movements are shorts with an increased focus on control, precision and long-term mobility.

For these reasons Pilates is incredibly useful for anyone suffering from back, knee, or hip pain. Furthermore, it serves as a great alternative or adjunct to weight training or running.

Next week will be discussing how you can use Pilates to help overcome injury and improve your performance in a variety of settings!

My shoulder pops. Why is that?

Do you ever feel your shoulder popping and wonder why? This is a common issue that can stem from various causes. The shoulder is a complex joint, boasting the largest and most versatile range of motion in the body. It consists of bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons that facilitate movement in many directions, but this complexity also makes it prone to instability when movement quality is compromised. As a result, the shoulder is one of the most frequently injured joints, often leading to shoulder pain.

Before jumping to conclusions, consider these questions:

1) Is the popping sensation painful?
2) Have you recently injured your shoulder, leading to pain?
3) Does your shoulder feel stable?
4) Is the popping accompanied by weakness?

Clicking and popping can occur for various reasons. If it’s painless, it may just be harmless joint noise known as crepitus, which is the release of pressure within the joint—similar to when you crack your knuckles. However, if the popping is painful, it could indicate irritation.

Overuse of the shoulder through repetitive motions can lead to irritation and inflammation of the tissues within the joint. Common examples include bursitis and tendinitis, which are frequently seen as sports injuries. These conditions often arise from movement compensations combined with repetitive activities, causing swelling in the bursa sac and rotator cuff tendons. The bursa are fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints, while the tendons are cords that connect muscles to bones. Over time, rotator cuff tendons can wear down, much like the sole of a shoe, eventually leading to tears if untreated. This can result in increased pain, limitations in exercise or training, and even difficulties with daily activities like sleeping or using the arm.

Popping accompanied by pain can also be due to degenerative arthritis, a condition caused by years of wear and tear. In arthritis, the cartilage that protects bones wears down, becoming rough and leading to increased friction in the joint. This friction can cause injury as the joint surfaces rub together like sandpaper, leading to joint inflammation and shoulder pain. Left untreated, arthritis can limit your ability to exercise and perform daily activities.

Shoulder pain and impingement can occur when the space between the top of the shoulder blade (acromion) and the top of the upper arm bone (head of the humerus) narrows due to movement compensations. This narrowing causes swelling and inflammation, further reducing space and leading to the pinching of the rotator cuff tendons and bursa. If not treated, this condition can limit exercise and interfere with daily activities.

Shoulder instability happens when the head of the upper arm bone (humerus) cannot stay centered in the shoulder socket (glenoid) during movement. This instability places extra strain on various structures within the shoulder, potentially irritating the cartilage (labrum) and causing pain and weakness. Left unchecked, this can increase the risk of developing arthritis.

Despite all these potential issues, the key point is not just understanding these conditions but figuring out why the popping, tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis, impingement, or instability started in the first place.

Small rotator cuff tears, labral tears, arthritis, and joint damage are common in the shoulder, but there is still plenty you can do (without surgery) to alleviate pain and return to the activities you enjoy.

The crucial question to ask yourself is, “What movement compensations am I making that are irritating my shoulder?” By addressing these compensations with the help of a skilled sports physical therapist, you can continue to exercise and maintain an active lifestyle.

Introducing Our New Performance Physical Therapist

We would like to welcome, Dr. Alex Immermann, our new Performance Physical Therapist, to the Cohen Health & Performance family. He has passion for using his specialized background to meet the needs of clients wherever they fall upon the spectrum between rehab and performance development. His professional aspiration is to get less people rehabilitating and more people training.

Drawn to sports medicine after his own youth soccer experiences, he graduated with his BS in athletic training from Boston University and worked as a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) prior to PT school. He then graduated magna cum laude from The George Washington University with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. While at GW he interned with EXOS (formerly known as Athlete’s Performance), getting the opportunity to learn from a world-renowned sports medicine/performance team treating many of the world’s most elite athletes. Prior to moving back to the DMV area, Alex was a Staff Physical Therapist with Elite Performance and Rehabilitation in Santa Barbara, CA. There he gained valuable experience working with general orthopedic clients as well as a wide variety of amateur and professional endurance, martial arts, volleyball, and tennis athletes.

Alex is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also a certified in Functional Range Conditioning (FRCms) a comprehensive system of joint mobility training meant to optimize human function through a focus on building true mobility, joint integrity, and body control/awareness.

We are very excited to have Alex join our team in helping you get back to the active lifestyle that you love!