You might have noticed that there is a big difference in the widths, heights, and depths of different brands and models of chairs, which lends itself to confusion when learning the Pilates chair repertoire and difficulty when deciding which chair to purchase. The great news is, you can choose your preference based on the outcome you’re looking for!
The dimensions of the chair affect the physics of movement. Some chairs, such as Stott’s and Balanced Body’s combo chairs, are noticeably higher from the ground and narrower in the seat. The benefit of this is that they are easier for people who are restricted in low sitting mobility to utilize the chair for exercises such as double leg pump/seated footwork. With this additional height, you’ll also notice that they align with the height of most Cadillacs, which can provide extra support with exercises such as swan or lateral flexion.
Have you noticed the distance between the pedal and the seat of the chair?
This is very important to consider when you’re doing exercises such as reverse swan and teaser when you’re seated on the chair and reaching back to the pedal. Having a shorter distance means that the spring tension will support you sooner in the exercise. On the flip side, having a greater distance between the pedal and the chair when doing swan will place less demand on the degree of your spine extension.
Lower chairs can be helpful when doing exercises such as forward lunge/step up. You have less distance to travel vertically if your chair is lower to the ground. A lower chair also means less distance between your client and the ground, which can lend itself towards increased comfort and stability. Having deeper chairs can be helpful in exercises such as reverse swan and teaser because you’ll have more surface area to support your back.
In a nutshell, there are a few important variables to consider when using the chair and these variables will impact the experience of an exercise for us and for our clients and patients. In my dream studio, I would have one chair of every brand and model, although I recognize this would make group classes impossible! Try a variety of exercises on each chair before deciding on the make and model of chair that would best serve you and your client/patient population.
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I will be brief since this is a whole course in itself! We know that Idiopathic (no known cause) Scoliosis (IS) is a 3 dimensional spinal disorder that begins with anterior vertebral wedging due to RASO (relative anterior spinal overgrowth) during bone development. We also know that the rotational component of scoliosis exists as
both inter-vertebral torsion (rotation of one vertebra relative to another) and intravertebral torsion (an internal rotational distortion within each vertebra), most notably at the apical vertebra (the vertebra most deviated laterally from the vertical axis that passes through the sacrum).1
This distortion contributes to less joint motion at the apex of the curve and more at the transition points of the curve.
We see this to a greater degree in adults and to a lesser degree in adolescents who have a more flexible curve before bone maturity. This is apparent in a supine lateral flexion X-ray that assesses curve flexibility.
Better posture can be achieved by emphasizing the most fundamental principles of all intelligent movement disciplines: axial elongation and breathing. Scoliosis curve concavities are constantly under compression by gravity. Axial elongation encourages a natural re-alignment of the spine by using neuromuscular activity to reduce multi-plane compression and collapse of the concave side of the scoliosis curves.
Once the concavities (which include the ribs) are expanded, then breath can be used to further open the collapse through:
A research article was published in 2014 claiming that scoliosis curves can be reduced by doing side planks on the convex side of the curve, and was sensationalized in a WSJ article.2 But the research had many flaws3 and while interesting, it cannot make that claim. Muscular activity on both the concave and convex side of a scoliosis curve is inefficient and exercises that address each side are optimal for IS, including the Side Plank. Consider benefits of the Side Plank based on curve type:
Life takes us out of neutral spine…shouldn’t we train our scoliosis clients how to move their spine effectively out of neutral? The answer is of course yes…. but which movements and how much? This depends on your assessment of the client: Are they in pain? How much movement does the apex of each curve have? What is the curve type? What other muscle imbalances or injuries exist? What are their goals? Considering that the scoliosis spine tends to move more at the transition points and less at the apices, we may want to limit end range movements and emphasize elongation in postural shapes that minimize compression of the curve concavities. This will be more difficult for those with a double curve. So it is important to make critical decisions with your client based on your evaluation and their goals.
