Pilates was originally created in the 1920’s by physical trainer Joseph Pilates to assist in a person’s rehabilitation. Some of the initial cohort of people treated with Pilates were soldiers returning from war and dancers, to strengthen their bodies and minimise/resolve aches and pains.
Pilates focuses on the improvement of strength, tone, posture, movement control, flexibility, body awareness, balance and co-ordination. It works through performing controlled movements on the mat under the supervision of a specially trained physiotherapist. Pilates is primarily a strengthening form of exercise not aerobic, though your heart rate may increase with standing Pilates exercises, particularly if you are de-conditioned.
Pilates may be taught in gyms, health and leisure centres and community halls, without the correct instructor expertise and background medical training. Clients may have also poor fitness levels. Without the correct instructor training and pre assessment of the potential class participant, it is not always appropriate or safe for participants to perform mat Pilates. Therefore, Chartered Physiotherapist’s developed ‘Clinical Pilates’, which is evidence based Pilates taught by a university trained, ISCP and CORU registered physiotherapist with a background knowledge of anatomy, clinical assessment and evidence based treatment techniques.
Pilates is often used in conjunction with one to one physiotherapy based treatment programmes. Pilates also has a role in injury prevention for the client. Therefore, Chartered Physiotherapist’s developed ‘Clinical Pilates’, which is evidence based Pilates taught by a university trained, ISCP and CORU registered physiotherapist, with a background knowledge of anatomy, clinical assessment and evidence based treatment techniques.
Pilates is generally safe for most people, provided they have been screened by a Chartered Physiotherapist via a pre assessment prior to commencing Pilates classes.
Benefits of Pilates
The key elements of Clinical Pilates are postural alignment and core strengthening. It also improves how you move and control your body by initially teaching the techniques to you on the mat with a view to taking the skills learned on the mat into everyday functional activities. Clinical Pilates suits people of all ages and fitness levels.
Alignment of your posture starts by educating you as to the correct alignment of your spine, abdomen, pelvis, hips and the muscles that surround and support those structures. These muscles include the Erector Spinae and Multifidus (located along your spine), the internal and external obliques (located at the sides of your abdomen), the Transversus Abdominis (located deep across your lower abdomen and pulls the lower stomach/belly button towards your spine), the Re**us Abdominis (the ‘six-pack’ muscle), your rotator cuff muscles (located around your shoulder girdle) and your hip stabilising muscles (located around your hip joint).
During your Pilates session, I will continuously guide and prompt you to focus properly on the correct activation and use of the required muscles for that particular exercise. I will also guide you as to how to breathe during the exercises with a focus on quality not quantity of exercises.
About Physio Pilates Kinsale
Physio Pilates Kinsale was established by Sinéad Considine (Chartered Physiotherapist and CORU registered) in 2015. Having gained in depth physiotherapy experience in all areas throughout the public health service, I chose to focus my experience on Clinical Pilates, in helping specific client groups in their rehabilitation, as well as helping those in maintaining an already healthy body and equipping them with the necessary skills in injury prevention.
As well as having a specific interest in Clinical Pilates, I have also specialised in the assessment and treatment of elderly and neurological physiotherapy conditions, having obtained an MSc in Neurology and Gerontology in 2014. Presently, I work full time with the Health Service Executive (HSE) as a community physiotherapist with a focus on the treatment of older persons and neurological patients. In addition, I provide Clinical Pilates classes to beginners and beginner/intermediate clients on an evening basis.
Over the years, as my reputation, experience and client base has grown, so did the pilates services that I could offer. Starting in September 2018, I will be providing clinical Pilates classes to the older age group that are at risk of or have a diagnosis of Osteopenia/Osteoporosis. Over the coming years, I envisage and plan to further expand my physiotherapy services, to include one to one appointments in the clinical areas of older persons and neurological care. This will include, LSVT BIG, a large amplitude movement based treatment for clients with Parkinson’s Disease.
The client is at the core of my service developments and expansion and I will continue to improve the services that I provide in response to client needs. Combined with my experience, expertise and the ever evolving needs of my clients, I aim to continuously develop and re develop the services that I provide with the client at the heart of this.
About Sinéad Considine
I qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 2007 from the University of Limerick. I am a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) and I am registered with CORU and the New Zealand Register of Physiotherapists. I am a huge advocate of prevention and rehabilitation, for a variety of conditions in all ages, specialising in Pilates, elderly and neurological rehabilitation.
Experience and Expertise
I am very privileged to have returned to my home town of Kinsale, your introduction to the Wild Atlantic Way, after many years traveling and working abroad.
I have gained a wealth of experience working with the Otago District Health Board (ODHB) in New Zealand, covering the Emergency Department (ED), High Dependency Unit (HDU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Orthopaedics, Out – patient clinics, vascular, cardio-thoracic, respiratory and neurology. I continued this experience with Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland in Co. Limerick, Co. Kerry and Co. Cork. I have further specialised in Neurology and Gerontology obtaining a Masters (MSc) in this area in 2014. I have also further qualified in Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT) BIG, which specialises in the use of large amplitude movement in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. I am currently working as a Senior Physiotherapist in the HSE in the area of Neurology and Gerontology. Part of my role includes the provision of Falls Prevention exercises classes, Parkinson’s exercise classes and Multiple Sclerosis exercises classes.
I have also completed further post graduate courses and teach Ante Natal/Post Natal, Beginners, Beginners/Intermediate, Intermediate, Osteoporosis and Children/Young adults Pilates. I believe in combining my expertise and knowledge, in conjunction with Clinical Pilates training, in facilitating my patients to obtain and maintain their best functional outcome.
Classes Overview
I have been back living and working in Kinsale for 11 years. I’m proud to call Kinsale my place of work, rest, leisure and exercise. It’s a gift for such a mesmerising place to hold so many qualities. I’m passionate about exercise, injury prevention, maintenance of medical and physical conditions and your health/body in general. I love to teach correct human body movement and control, with a view to taking this out of the structured physiotherapy environment into real life and function, be it indoors or outdoors, sitting in your car or shopping for groceries. I have a keen mind for prophylactic (preventative) treatment. Look after your body and mind, not just with good nutrition and rest but also exercise…… Give your body the time and attention it deserves, in the maintenance of a healthy body or rehabilitation of an injury/injuries. Your primary goal is you, be it that you are independently living or caring for others. For you to remain active and healthy, exercise is key in maintaining that ability to look after yourself and/or others.
I strive to continuously update my knowledge base, to provide expert tuition and advice in correct movement ability and control. I enjoy imparting my knowledge base to others making sure its relevant to the particular condition or age group. I have a passion for sharing evidence based research with you, to help empower you in taking control of your own health. Sharing facts and statistics will give you the answer to the question, as to why you should do this form of exercise. I strive to inform people how best to look after your body, where its relevant to your particular condition or injury or prevention of injury occurrence. This includes how to recognise when your body is ‘out of sync’, in pain or injured. While all injuries/conditions may not be fixed, most can be improved or better maintained. My aim is to teach you how to ‘fix’ or best manage yourself independently. You will not only learn how to best manage your injury/condition but also how to recognise relapses and when to seek expert/clinician assessment and treatment.
My Approach
I thoroughly enjoy being a Chartered and CORU registered Physiotherapist and Pilates instructor, where I can teach people how to manage and constructively change their bodies for the better, manage this improvement appropriately, connect better with their own bodies and lead a more fulfilling life.
I teach Pilates classes in small groups in Kinsale, with each class being an hour long once a week for 6 weeks. Inclusion to the Pilates classes involves a pre assessment, to ascertain whether Pilates is a safe and appropriate treatment approach for you. I assess your movement, strength and take a detailed medical assessment to help guide my assessment and treatment approach for you. If Pilates is an appropriate treatment for you, my goal is help you achieve your goal in return to health and fitness. I will help you to understand why you have pain/weakness and/or stiffness etc so that you can be guided in the correct treatment approach and lifestyle changes necessary for that change to occur and also importantly how to maintain it.
I practice physiotherapy for the Health Service Executive (HSE) full time and teach Pilates part time. I have therefore gained a wealth of knowledge in the recognition, assessment and treatment of many various musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, as well as having had the pleasure of working with other medical disciplines. Education and exercise are key components of rehabilitation and maintenance of improvement gained. Therefore my aim is to educate and guide you through structured exercise programmes. These programmes are monitored and adjusted accordingly under my supervision within the classes.
Correct movement, strength, posture and balance start centrally within the body. You are taught how to activate and maintain your core, which is progressed into dynamic functional movements. Exercises are taught with a slow and controlled emphasis initially and then developed to become more dynamic as your skill improves.
My Journey and Passion
Being a physiotherapist and Pilates teacher by profession continues to be empowering, enjoyable and energising. I also have a passion for running, horse riding, cycling, going just about anywhere with my sidekick dog, enacting new ideas and running a business.
My focus on Pilates has grown and I have diversified into teaching ante natal, post-natal, beginners up to intermediate level, Children and Young Adults and Osteoporosis Pilates classes.
This I have done with great comfort and excitement, owing to the wealth of experience I have gained through teaching exercise classes to clients with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and falls prevention. This has included liaising with the relevant societies and multi-disciplinary colleagues.
I believe that clients, in particular those after surgical/medical investigations and/or procedures, should seek one to one physiotherapy assessment and/or treatment, with a view to independently maintaining this through Pilates where indicated. This also applies to women on their journey through pregnancy and post-partum, where after their physiotherapy assessment, can commence/return to Pilates 6 weeks after delivery. For all clients, Pilates helps to strengthen your core, strengthen your pelvic floor, reduce your pain, restore normal movement and give you back your independence.
Clinical Pilates Classes
PHYSIOTHERAPY LED PILATES CLASSES
All Pilates classes are an hour long and provided once a week over a 6 week period.
A pre assessment is required prior to commencement of the classes. This is required to allow me to gain information about your medical history and any physical movement or strength restrictions that you may have, so that I can make any adaptations that you may need during the classes. This may be particularly important , if after any surgical procedures or upon advice from your Consultant or GP, that you have been advised to seek expert advice in rehabilitating your movement and strength. This is where Clinical Pilates taught by a Chartered Physiotherapist comes to the forefront in leading guided rehabilitation.
Depending on your health insurance plan, one to one assessment’s and classes, can be claimed or part claimed for but this varies between health insurance providers and the different policies that they offer. Physiotherapy assessment’s and one to one treatments can be submitted under a MED 1 form, if you pay PRSI.
The cost of the pre-assessment is €55 for one hour, less if the full hour not required (based on your own clinical needs). The cost of a 6 week block of Clinical Pilates classes is €90. Payment in advance is appreciated to secure your place and operates on a first come first serve basis.
Class numbers are kept small to ensure appropriate teaching and supervision of all exercises according to each client’s capability.
Types of Pilates Classes
We offer different levels and types of classes, ensuring that all levels and patients conditions are catered for. These include beginners, beginners/intermediate and a specially designed class for patients suffering from Osteoporosis/Osteopenia.
Beginners
During your initial assessment, information will be obtained about your medical history and any physical restriction or weaknesses that you may have. Key information is then discussed with you as to which issue/s need to be addressed first. Specific advice, awareness of certain movement patterns and exercises, may be taught to you to help you address your individual areas of dysfunction. You will be encouraged to incorporate these principals and exercises not just in to your pilates class but also in to your functional day to day activities.
The beginners classes aim to teach you the basic exercises at a slow and controlled pace to encourage correct learning. As you progress through the block of classes and you establish the basis of each exercise, these exercises or movement parts are combined to become a more complex movement pattern. Where possible, the combination of these complex movements is taken from the horizontal position on the mat to the vertical position in standing, where we predominantly perform most of our activities of daily living.
Beginners/intermediate
Beginners/Intermediate is the next level up from beginners level. It normally requires that you have completed beginners level first.
Attending Beginners/Intermediate level, is dependent on establishing the core principals from beginners level. It is also dependent on your physical ability to progress to the next level up, as your medical history and any physical restrictions or precautions that you may have, also need to be considered.
With all this in mind, your progression from Beginners level to Beginners/Intermediate level, will be fully guided by your Chartered Physiotherapist, so you are safe in the knowledge that where progression in your rehabilitation is possible, that you will be fully guided in this process.
Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
A pre assessment is required prior to commencing the Osteoporosis/Osteopenia Pilates Classes. This is conducted to obtain information about your medical history and any physical restrictions or weaknesses that you may have.
These classes focus on strength, balance, flexibility and conditioning exercises, with a particular emphasis on clients that are not able to get on and off the floor to perform exercises.
Pilates Class Schedule
PHYSIOTHERAPY LED PILATES CLASSES
All Pilates classes are an hour long and provided once a week over a 6 week period on a tuesday.
Type of Class:
5 – 6pm Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
6.15 – 7.15 pmBeginners
7.30 – 8.30pm Beginners/Intermediate
Important Classes Information
Next block of Pilates classes commence 18 September 2018
Payment in advance is appreciated to secure your place and avoid disappointment
An initial pre assessment appointment is required for all new clients wishing to commence Pilates classes. This pre assessment costs €55 for one hour, less if the full hour not required , depending on your physical findings
What should I wear?
You should wear comfortable clothing that you can move around in. It is advisable to wear fitted clothing that will stretch with you as you move and allow me as your instructor, to see how your body moves through the various exercises. Loose or baggy clothing, though it may be comfortable, may not be the ideal choice, as you will be in certain positions during the exercises that may reveal more of your body than you would be comfortable with.
Runners may be left on during standing exercises, particularly if you wear orthotics or struggle with balancing on one leg.
There is no need to bring mats or any other equipment with you as all this will be provided to you during the class. You may bring a towel for comfort but this is not a necessity. A bottle of water may be brought for general hydration.
