Joseph Pilates created the equipment that bears his name so that people could move better while working out. But it makes sense to also use it for rehab and recovery from injury.

“My first introduction to Pilates was doing it personally as a workout,” said Dr. Karyn Staples, PT, PhD, NCPT of ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio in Peachtree City.

Her Pilates teacher, knowing that she was a physical therapist, began asking Staples questions about another client she was working with. Having not considered the possibilities before, Staples began looking at Pilates “from the PT side of my brain,” as she put it, to see how it could help in that arena.

She soon came to the conclusion that she wanted to create an environment in which Pilates and physical therapy work together. That led her to eventually start ProHealth, where she is now in her 20th year providing that blended service for clients on Atlanta’s south side.

All physical therapists at ProHealth are cross-trained in Pilates, so it is an integral part of any rehabilitation or injury recovery program.

“Using Pilates to help rehabilitate from injury, and to be the medium of movement to help people feel better, is really the foundation for ProHealth,” said Staples. “As I brought people on board to work alongside me, it was super important that those other practitioners also wanted to embrace that model.”

While many people use it only as a wellness activity, Pilates is uniquely designed to address injuries because people can be positioned in a way that decreases pain or reduces strain on some areas while allowing other body parts to be challenged and moved.

“As somebody moves along the spectrum from having pain or injury into that more wellness space, it is perfectly set up to be able to do in these different positions, utilizing all the pieces of Pilates equipment and knowing that there are multiple pieces that Joseph Pilates created to help along the way,” said Staples.

Every physical therapist will eventually focus on his or her best way to address how their clients can improve their body movements. Pilates matches well over many different areas, giving a PT various ways to look at that movement and utilize the equipment for best efficiency. At this point it is important for the person leading a client through these movements to have an understanding of and training in the equipment.

“You can install a fancy shiny piece of equipment somewhere, but if nobody knows how to use it, it doesn’t have any benefit,” said Staples, adding that proper knowledge of the equipment is also vital from a safety standpoint, since improper use can be physically dangerous.

Pilates equipment is very helpful when used correctly because it can allow a patient to operate it in certain positions without pain – or, if they experience pain, the appropriate adjustments can be made. The body is to be exerting itself and the muscles are to be working, but it should not be a painful experience.

A recent example of a successful Pilates-based rehab program at ProHealth involves recovery from pelvic health dysfunction, including pelvic tightness and urinary leakage. People are often unaware of how their overall body alignment can affect that part of the body. A series of exercises to improve hip mobility and awareness of core activation, followed by footwork and sit-to-stand movements, resulted in the patient no longer leaking simply by standing up from a sitting position.

Another recent patient battling compression fractures in the spine – to the extent that simply being upright was challenging – was led through a regimen that resulted in considerable mobility improvement. As movements were monitored by a physical therapist, the transition to an upright position allowed her to do more activities without the fear of another compression fracture while having sufficient support around the ones which have already healed.

ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio is located at 1777 Georgian Park in Peachtree City. for more information or to book an appointment, phone 770-487-1931 or visit prohealthga.com.