Pilates & Pain Science

An introduction and overview of the course. We discuss why it is important for pilates instructors to understand pain even though it is not commonly covered in pilates teacher training courses.

Pain is introduced as multifactorial and biopsychosocial phenomenon. We look at sensory, cognitive and motivational dimensions of pain. Pain is described as a safety mechanism and not as a reliable indicator of tissue damage.

We go into depth on the neurobiology of pain in order to appreciate the adaptive nature of the pain system. We look at the 3 different types of pain and how tissue healing times relate to pain.

In this session, we'll explore one of the most common reasons people start pilates: back pain. We'll debunk prevalent myths about back pain and examine the evidence to understand how we can effectively help—or potentially harm—those with back pain.

This session delves into the complexity of chronic pain. You'll learn how to distinguish acute and chronic pain, explore the pivotal role of central sensitization in chronic pain, and understand how our perceptions of danger and safety can contribute to persistent pain.

An introduction to the concepts of supported self-management and multimodal interventions. You’ll learn about pain neuroscience education as an intervention, understand the role of movement in pain management, consider some of the psychological aspects of pain interventions and recognise the many varied lifestyle factors impacting on pain.

Understand how to practically apply your new knowledge of pain in the pilates studio. We’ll relook at pilates principles and identify the key principles of a pain informed approach.

We'll examine a case study to integrate our knowledge about pain and demonstrate how to apply a pain-informed approach with a specific client.

Some additional resources that you or your clients might find helpful.

Additional support for integrating your learning into your teaching practice.