Ankle injuries are common in sports involving running and jumping, and when sustained require rehabilitation to recover full function. A question that is often asked is if I have ankle pain, why should I do exercises for the rest of the body? – Good Question! The answer is simply that if one area of the body is not working at an optimal level this can cause excessive strain on another area, leading to overuse and wear and tear. So balancing the body as a whole is key to full rehabilitation and resolution of symptoms.

This case study demonstrates the benefit of using the combined approach of physiotherapy and Pilates to address the body as a whole when approaching rehabilitation, leading to a longer term solution to the problem. (more…)

Each sport uses a different set of muscles and our body relies on these muscles to perform at an optimum level. The following is a Pilates program put together by Kimberly Cheong one of our Pilates instructors for triathletes based on the muscle imbalances they may face because of their sport.

Back openings on Foam Roller + Book-openings on the mat
Benefits for triathletes: In running, swimming and cycling, athletes more often than not maintain a slightly forward-leaning and still upper back position for prolonged periods. This might cause some tightness in the upper back region (Thoracic spine) and a “kyphotic” posture. Back-openings release the tension and knots in the upper and middle back while Book-openings increases the mobility and rotating range of the ribs and middle back. (more…)

Catriona one of our physiotherapists takes Clement through a body analysis

Different sports have different demands on our muscles and our body, and as such to train for a sport we need specific exercises to target certain muscles. Recently we did a body analysis on Clement, a triathlete to see what effects the sport has on his body and to see where he could improve his performance when competing.

Body Analysis is an in-depth assessment of posture, joint range of movement, muscle power, muscle length and balance.  It provides the client with an overview of the way their body works, highlighting the strengths and also giving them and focus on areas where they can improve to enhance their future performance.

This month, Clement, a 23 year old triathlete completed our Body Analysis. (more…)

Well a little after three weeks since I climbed Mt Kinabalu I have recovered fully and I’m back into my regular exercise regime. It was by far the hardest physical challenge I have put mybody through and as tough as it was, the achievement of getting to the top was well worth the 8km of pain. I still managed to feel proud of my efforts even though it was raining, freezing, cloudy and there was no spectacular sunrise anywhere in sight.

We set out at about 10am at an altitude of 1,866 meters and after the first kilometre I had serious doubts about my ability to get to the top. There was one stretch of stairs (see below) in particular which I found challenging. I’m not sure if the sight ahead of me scared the breath out of me or if it was the pace we were climbing at but when we reached the top of these stairs I was beginning to doubt whether the amount of preparation I had done would be enough. 

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My challenge is to climb Mt Kinabalu in Malaysia and make it to the top to see the sunrise. I’ve put my gym membership on hold and I’m putting Pilates to the test to see if it can prepare me for the challenge. So I’ve enlisted the help of Kim who has put together a Pilates program designed for hiking and mountain climbing.

We always say that Pilates can be applied to any sport and activity so I’m putting this into practice. I’ve got a lot on the line if I’m not strong enough then at worst I won’t make it to the top or maybe I’ll injure myself and at best I’ll struggle to walk the next day (I’m guessing this will be the case anyway).

At 4095 m above sea level it is the 20th tallest mountain in the world. As far as mountains go it’s suppose to be quite an easy climb but I’m still convinced it will be tough even though we begin at 1866m.

For those of you who have had Kim as an instructor you’ll know that she is tough and accurate so I brace myself for a challenging session. This is the first time I have done a private session with an instructor so I’m looking forward to some one-on-one attention.

Bridging - we start the session by doing some bridging to warm up my spine.

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I’ll start this post by introducing myself, my name is Gemma and I’m taking care of the marketing at Focus Pilates, I also happen to be Daniel’s younger sister. A requirement of working at the studio means I need to try to do two classes per week, or else I hear about it from Daniel! There could be worse things really, so I don’t mind, plus I can see the results already.

I’m generally quite an active person so after a while I decided that Pilates was not enough, I wanted to work on increasing my endurance and cardio activity. The main reason is I have just signed up to climb Kota Kinabalu, the 20^th tallest mountain in the world and tallest mountain in South East Asia (sounds quite impressive doesn’t it!). So basically I want to make sure I make it to the top and am still able to walk the next day.

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Daniel Dittmar, Head Instructor at Focus Pilates road tests some barefoot running shoes.

Well after several recommendations I finally caved in and got myself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers running shoes. For those not in the know, these are “shoes” that have a super slim sole with no cushioning, and have little pockets for each of your toes. A lot like the Toesox that many of our clients wear to their Pilates class. Using these shoes is meant to facilitate a more natural running strategy and ironically decrease the impact on joints compared with running the traditional way with cushioned shoes. With these shoes you have to follow a mid-foot running style which I must admit I have been trying to do with my regular running shoes. So in other words instead of the traditional heel strike, you land half way along your foot and keep your body mass over your feet or slightly forward. This results in a higher running cadence (steps per minute) and less impact into the joints. The super slim sole also encourages your feet to adapt more to your running surface. I’ve been know to harp on in my Pilates classes about the damage walking around on hard flat surfaces as well as shoving your feet in inflexible shoes which is far from what our feet were designed for. We don’t have 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles in our feet to walk around on a hard flat surface, and climb stairs, our feet and muscles are designed to walk on uneven varied surfaces, uphill, downhill etc. Don’t even get me started on wearing high heels….

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Running is generally considered a sport which is quite simple to do, you need no technical training just a decent pair of shoes and some determination. It’s easy to see why it is so popular when compared with other sports like swimming, tennis and golf which require some skill and technique.

Despite this running has evolved to be a fairly technical sport, whereby runners who are keen to run faster and better now look towards changing their running form. In addition to running better and faster, changing one’s running form has also been touted to help with preventing injuries.

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Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise especially if you want to get a decent cardio workout. For those of us who are cooped up in an office all day it’s also a great way to get some fresh air and much needed vitamin D.

Running has many benefits to the body such as improving cardiovascular endurance, aiding weight loss, lowering blood pressure, increasing mineral bone density and muscle tone. If you’re a runner you’ll also know that thanks to those endorphins buzzing around, you’ll notice a positive impact on your happiness and general wellbeing.

As well as having a long list of benefits running can also cause our bodies a lot of pain and discomfort. The impact of the foot onto the ground sends significant force up into our lower legs. The repetitive movement can lead to overloading of muscles and tendons in the legs. So to make sure you stay running at your best we asked Catriona Dourish one of our physiotherapists what the common injuries resulting from running are, how to treat these injuries and most importantly how to prevent them.

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Many runners feel that their running activities alone provide them with a well-rounded fitness program. While it is a great cardiovascular workout it can also lead to imbalances in the body, which may lead to injuries and pain.

Danny Yeo a Senior Instructor at Focus Pilates has come up with some Pilates exercises to ensure you get the most out of your run and stay injury free. Combining running with regular Pilates is a great way to have well-rounded physical fitness and ensure even muscle strength and balance.

The best way to do this is to ensure you have correct posture. This may sound simple enough but there are a lot of things you need to remember…

• keep your pelvis stable (avoid too much arch in your lower back, by drawing abs in)
• avoid dropping the hip on one side
• keep the shoulders over the hips
• open the chest muscles for maximum breathing
• avoid lifting the shoulders
• work on good alignment in the knee, ankle and foot.

So how do you remember to do all of this when you’re having a hard enough time breathing and keeping your legs moving? Well it will take a lot of practice but practicing Pilates will also help you to achieve this by:

• teaching awareness of good posture and the importance of a strong core
• increasing core strength and correcting postural imbalances
• working all muscle groups to create uniform muscle development
• fostering good movement of the spine
• teaching breathing techniques and control
• ensuring muscles around the hip joint stay flexible and strong to support the movement of your legs.
• increasing balance in the muscles of the back and hips
• Improve co-ordination of upper and lower body to improve energy efficiency.

Which exercises will help me to be a better runner?

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