Quite often clients will ask if Pilates can have any benefit when trying to recover from both minor and serious injuries. Of course the answer is always yes, but now i have the benefit of being able to tell them exactly how, using my own first-hand experience! In September 2015, whilst on a skiing trip to New Zealand with my son and family who live in Sydney, I was unlucky to have got caught on an edge in very heavy spring snow. Unfortunately the ski didn’t release as it should have, and I fell seriously injuring my knee.
The marshals came to the rescue and gave me a great ride back to the base on a Skidoo, but my fears came true when I was told I had totally disrupted my ACL (one of a pair of ligaments in the knee), chipped the top of my tibia (the shinbone) and tore my Meniscus (the cartilage in the knee, which provides strength in the joint when it undergoes tension and torsion), in short it was pretty bad.
Before the long flight home to the UK I had 10 more days in Sydney on crutches, struggling to sleep due to the pain and the fact I had to constantly prop my leg up with about 4 pillows!
Once I got home, I went and had an MRI scan, seeing the great knee specialist surgeon Dennis Edwards in Cambridge, where I booked my repair operation for December 8th 2015. This gave me only two and a half weeks recuperation time after the operation, before my Pilates classes started back in the New Year, and only then would I be able to drive again.
The operation was very successful, however then started the rehabilitation process. Nikki at Holisticare provided me with Myofacial Release soon after the operation, which is a specialized physical and manual therapy, used to rehabilitate soft tissue and fascial tension and restrictions. I was so lucky to have had strength in my muscles down to the fact that I have been teaching Pilates now for 16 years. The continuing rigorous exercises during my rehab massively helped, particularly using the Pilates reformer at the later stages, and regular exercise in the gym meant that my recovery has progressed rapidly. I have been so lucky to have had no complications or serious pain since the operation which can only be put down my rehab efforts.
It has now been nine months since my operation, and I have just got back from a skiing trip to New Zealand with my son! I took things carefully, but am so relieved to have had no problems with my knee. In fact, I had totally forgotten that it was under a year ago that I had the accident, until I was reminded on the slopes! Undoubtedly Pilates, both before and after the injury helped me massively, not only to repair the damage, but also to prevent the damage from being any worse than it already was. Over the years I have had many people visit the studio looking for injury or pain relief, something which Pilates can be so rewarding in, however I have also been lucky enough to have worked with all sorts of athletes, dancers and even horse riders, who understand the power that Pilates can have in ensuring the prevention of injuries by strengthening each and every muscle in the body.
If you have an injury that you would like to discuss, or if you are interested in finding out more about how Pilates can help prevent injuries give us a call on 01279843555 or come and visit us as Great Hadham Golf Club, Bishop’s Stortford.