Antenatal Pilates Classes at Physio Effect

Some exciting news! We have a NEW Antenatal Pilates class running in our studio within our Northside clinic at Borron Street. This physio-led Clinical Pilates class aims to prevent pregnancy related issues such as pelvic girdle pain (PGP), symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), posture related pain as well as a full body programme to prepare you for the birth of your child. During the class, you will be guided through an individualised programme relevant to your stage of pregnancy and any other issues discussed during your initial physiotherapy appointment.  

WHEN: Wednesday evenings at 7PM from 21st October

**CLASS NOW FULLY BOOKED**

Please contact us below if you would like to be placed on our waiting list or if you wish to attend any of our other Clinical Pilates classes which will be a mixed group, but you will still be able to do an antenatal programme due to the bespoke nature of the class.

---

WHEN CAN I START?

As long as you have an uncomplicated pregnancy and your midwife/ doctor approves, you can begin from any time in your second trimester if you have no Pilates experience. If you have previous Pilates experience, you may begin earlier.

---

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

You will be required to have a 1:1 session with one of our physiotherapists before joining a class for the first time. During this appointment, your physiotherapist will be able to plan a bespoke Pilates programme for you based on your goals, requirements and stage of pregnancy. You will be introduced to the various Pilates props and equipment used during a class including the Pilates Reformer machine.

---

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Antenatal Physiotherapy Appointment: £49

Single class rate: £25

6 classes: £120 (£20 per class)

12 classes: £220 (£18.3 per class)

You have flexibility to use the class blocks within the following time period:

● 10 weeks on a 6-class block

● 4 months on an 12-class block

---

WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE MY BABY BEFORE I USE UP ALL MY CLASSES?

You may use any remaining class credit towards our Crybaby Pilates Classes. This is our specialist Postnatal Pilates class which you may begin once you are at least 6 weeks postpartum after a non-complicated vaginal delivery or 8 weeks if you have had a C-section/assisted delivery with any complications.

CryBaby (Postnatal) Pilates Class

Postnatal Pilates Classes at Physio Effect

We are very excited to announce that we are starting our very popular Crybaby Postnatal Pilates classes again in our Pilates studio within our Northside clinic in Borron Street. This is our physiotherapy-led rehabilitation class for new mums.

Due to the current Covid guidelines and to maintain social-distancing protocols, we are having smaller sized classes with a maximum of 6 participants only.

To join this class, you must be a minimum of 6 weeks postpartum if you had a straightforward vaginal delivery/8 weeks after a C-section or assisted vaginal delivery with any other complications (which can be discussed at your initial postnatal physiotherapy appointment).

---

NEW CLASS STARTING!

Mondays at 12noon

Duration: 1 hour

The next block will begin on MONDAY 30TH NOVEMBER 2020

Please get in touch below if you would like to sign up. Spaces are limited!

---

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

If you are starting our classes for the first time since having your baby, you will be required to have a 1:1 Postnatal Physiotherapy Appointment with one of our physiotherapists and you must be a minimum of 6 weeks postpartum for this to take place. This is a pre-screening appointment where you will also be able to discuss your pregnancy, labour and set some goals you’d like to achieve after having your baby. The physiotherapist will assess your pelvic floor and abdominal function and go over some basic, fundamental exercises in preparation to starting the classes. This appointment will take up to 45 minutes.

---

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

• Physiotherapy Postnatal Appointment: £49 (you must be a minimum of 6 weeks postpartum)

• 6-week block: £75

---

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SAFETY PROCEDURES

• The class size will be smaller than usual to allow adequate social distancing (maximum of 6 participants).

• Please bring your own mat to the class as well as a mat (and toys) for your baby to lay next to you or they may remain in their carseat next to you. Buggies will have to be left in our reception area outside the studio to allow for more space.

• Pilates equipment such as circles, balls, bands, weights etc. will be provided for the class with strict cleaning measures in place before and after use.

• A face-mask/covering is required to enter and leave the building and Pilates studio. Once you are allocated your floor space in the studio, you may remove your mask for the duration of the class if you wish.

• Hand sanitising gel is provided for entering and leaving the building.

• Unfortunately, the EDA Gym lounge area is closed for use however the Coorie Cafe is located in the 100 Borron Street Business Park above the gym which has delicious food, good coffee and outdoor seating. They have also very kindly offered to reserve a space for you all to have a chat and lunch after the class!

You are not your MRI: A Rehab Story.

Written by Mariam Kilpatrick, Physiotherapist and Clinical Pilates Lead at Physio Effect

Fiona Callan is a CrossFitter and Ultra-marathoner who injured her back in 2017. She had an MRI which showed an “L5/S1 disc bulge with nerve root irritation”. In this interview we discussed how she chose to avoid surgery and returned to the things she loved doing best.

Hi Fiona, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. Before we begin, tell us a bit about yourself…

I work in the NHS, primarily an office based job. Preceding my injury I was also studying for an MSc so basically spent all day and night sitting at a desk.

I started running in 2008, mainly 5k and 10k distance on roads but I wasn’t very good and didn’t enjoy it so moved to trail and hill running instead when I started gradually to increase my distance. I met some really cool people to run with as well. In 2012, I was talked into a trip to Nepal by a friend but it wasn’t until around 4 weeks to go that I found out he had signed me up to an ultra marathon. I didn’t even know what that was! It was sheer determination that got me through that and I really caught the ultra marathon bug.

In 2014 I started CrossFit as I thought some strength and conditioning type training would help with my running and I had no idea what I was doing in a conventional gym. The coaching and set workout approach has really worked for me and made me use muscles I didn’t know I had.

So the key question… how did you injure your back?

To be honest I’ve always had a bit of a lower back niggle, probably postural, but thought it would just go away. It was definitely something I started to feel more when I started CrossFit as I really had to use my back and core more than I had been doing running. Slowly I noticed it had started to affect my running, I had pain in my right buttock that shot down my leg now and again and my leg generally felt heavy. If I left it a few days it would go away but it meant I couldn’t really run or CrossFit as much as I wanted to.  

It started affecting my job as I couldn’t sit comfortably for any period of time. I was travelling by train to Edinburgh at least twice a week which became difficult. On one journey I had to get off the train and go back to Glasgow as I couldn’t face sitting for an hour.

Then during a workout involving a barbell I cried so much I had to admit that something wasn’t right.

My initial symptoms were primarily in my lower back, there was a build up of pressure around my stomach and back even when I bent over the sink to wash my face. I tried to keep active but really scaled back on what I was doing. I kept up my hill walking as this is an activity I love doing with my nephew – I used poles and made Ewan carry my bag as he’s the young one! I tried running but could only manage 1k before I felt my back stiffen.

One Saturday I went walking with Dad and Ewan in the Lake District. It was an amazing day. The hill wasn’t too hard; we took our time and enjoyed it. It was the shooting pain in my right leg that woke me up early on the Sunday morning. I tried to stand up but my leg just wouldn’t work. I limped to the bathroom hanging onto the wall and at that point I knew there was something seriously wrong. It sounds dramatic but I genuinely felt paralysed down that whole side of my lower body, first thoughts were ‘I’ll never run again!’ and panicked. My boyfriend called NHS24 and a nurse managed to calm me down and suggested I took paracetamol with ibuprofen and try find a comfortable position until a doctor could get to me. A few hours and one injection later the pain had dulled. He said it was my sciatic nerve; I should try to relax and spend less time sitting down!   

What treatment did you seek initially?

I got an appointment with Jonny who did some needling on my lower back/ glutes and gave me some exercises to do. I am the most impatient person and after a week of exercises I didn’t feel any different so I saw another physio (sorry!) who basically told me the same thing and gave me the same exercises. I really was in denial about how serious it was. I spoke to coaches in the gym, chatted to other runners and did a lot of Googling but all the answers were the same.

It was the mental part I actually found the toughest to deal with. I have made so many friends through running and CrossFit and my social media is full of it too so I was always seeing and hearing about all these amazing runs and PBs. I just felt stuck and disconnected. I saw my GP as I really felt like I was struggling to cope. People were always asking how I am and telling me I should ‘do this and do that’ and eventually I just got fed up talking about it. My GP didn’t really help me; she referred me to her physio friend but I didn’t go.

At the same time, Jonny had referred me to see Mariam for Clinical Pilates and it was during my consultation that she suggested some short term medication for my nerve problem in my right leg. I went to another GP for this and as well as giving me the medication, he was really keen to get me back running and to the gym so he referred me for an MRI.

What happened after your MRI?

I was really lucky in that I got an MRI pretty quickly. A few weeks after the scan. I received a letter with a hospital appointment but with no other information. Frustrating and worrying. I thought well there must be something not quite right and because of my problem with patience, I called the GP and asked him to give me a brief overview of the scan. He said he could see a disc bulge and I should continue doing my physio exercises until my appointment (with the consultant). I had just started with the Clinical Pilates class so I let Mariam know the issue and she tailored exercises for me until I found out more about the problem.

How did you feel after speaking to the neurosurgeon?

I remember getting a phone call from a surgeon in the spinal unit and it made me feel sick. I actually don’t remember what he said to me as the idea of back surgery just terrified me. I wasn’t exactly in crippling pain so the idea of surgery just felt a bit extreme to me. This was something I definitely wanted to avoid. I just really trusted my physios and they really believed I could get better without it. I didn’t feel that my pain was bad enough for surgery – for me this was the last resort.

At the appointment, the doctor went through my scan which I found fascinating. I actually felt a bit of weight come off my shoulders when I could physically see the issue. It had been hard to accept when I didn’t know for sure what the problem was but there it was clear in front of me. She then told me that they would do surgical intervention if I was getting sharp pains down the top of my leg. I told her I had that a few weeks before but it had been getting much better. We left it at that and I was told to get in touch if anything changed.

I had so many conversations with my boyfriend, my parents (and myself) and decided that it wasn’t the end of the world if I couldn’t run 50 miles or couldn’t deadlift 100kg as long as I could stay active. I would just scale back what I was doing.

You've spent the best part of a year doing some serious rehab with Clinical Pilates. In your own words, what is it and how did it help you? 

I had done a bit of Pilates before as I’d read and heard it was good for runners. It was one of those things I struggled to stick to because I never left the class feeling like I’d worked hard and my issue with patience didn’t help. When I told my boyfriend about it he signed me up for 6 weeks because he knew I’d have to go if he paid for it! I noticed a huge difference after these 6 weeks.

It is basically pilates but physio-led so your exercises are all tailored to whatever issue you may have so we’re all doing something different generally. It’s a small class but everyone is in the same boat and really friendly. Mariam checks in with you regularly during the class and pushes you when you’re ready but also changing exercises if something isn’t quite feeling good.

I expected my exercises to all be lower back focused as that’s where my injury was but actually they’ve been full body movements. As well as having a stronger back, I feel stronger and much improved posture. Mariam also spent some time working on my legs, particularly my right leg as the nerve had been affected and I had limited movement and very little strength.

Eventually you returned to CrossFit and trail-running. How long did that take from when you first injured yourself?

I was always doing a scaled back version of CrossFit and a bit of trail running while I was injured but I was mindful of undoing my hard work. It was important to me mentally that I kept in touch with coaches/ friends in the gym and my runner friends.

I accepted my injury in May 2017 and started Clinical Pilates in the October. In May 2018 I was a more confident runner so decided to train for a race following a plan, building up in distance and I finished the Mad Hatters Half Marathon and the Glentress Half Marathon with a PB and no back or leg pain. Not quite back at ultra marathon distance but I’m actually enjoying the shorter runs at the moment. In June 2018 I started back at CrossFit and noticed that I’m better at a lot of the movements as I actually use my back and core as I should. I’m always conscious of loading too much weight on bars and I know certain movements still aggravate my back but I know when to stop and I just need to gradually build my strength back up. I was asked if I’d like to be part of a team from the gym for a CrossFit competition, I said yes why not I can try and we finished in 3rd place with no back pain!

Most people seek the "quick-fix" or miracle cure. What advice would you give them?

Your back is such a major part of your body so decisions on surgery should never be made lightly. Unless a professional is telling you there is no other option, I would encourage people to commit to the exercises and rehab, spend less time being sedentary and stay active by doing anything you find fun.

Working through this injury has taught me so much about my body and my lifestyle as well as making me a better runner and CrossFitter. This is all coming from the most impatient person!

---

SEEKING GUIDANCE? WE CAN HELP

Our experienced team at Physio Effect Glasgow are specialists in back pain and have helped 1000s of people recover and get back their quality of life. We talk the talk and walk the walk and will combine exercise based rehab such as Clinical Pilates with highly skilled hands on therapies to ensure you get the best possible treatment.

Most importantly we will listen and work with you in partnership to identify your specific issues and formulate an agreed unique treatment plan. We will relieve your back pain and give you long term self management strategies to strengthen your back and reduce the chance of pain relapse.

Please contact us if you have questions about our physiotherapy and Clinical Pilates services. Book an appointment and get your journey to back pain recovery under way.

Restore your core after pregnancy: A safe return to exercise

Written by Mariam Kilpatrick - Physio, Clinical Pilates Instructor, Ultra-marathon runner & Awesome mum

After 9 long months, finally, your cute little bundle of joy has arrived! Goodbye to feeling like a bloated whale and goodbye heartburn. Say hello to sleeping on your tummy and to eating stinky cheese & sushi again. You’re keen to get back to exercise, get that endorphin rush and reclaim your pre-pregnancy body! You’ve had your 6 week check-up and your doctor has given you the all clear to exercise. Yay! BUT…yes there is a but. You can sometimes do more harm than good if you push your body beyond what it is ready for. Here we review the guidelines for returning safely to postnatal exercise and look at the specific benefits of Postnatal Pilates which include improved Pelvic Floor function and reduced Diastasis Recti (abdominal separation). Read on for more….

---

As the saying goes, you shouldn’t build a house on a weak foundation.

For many women, it has become a common thing to accept “a little bit of wee escaping” with a sneeze or running for the bus, just because you’ve had a baby. But no matter what age your baby is, either 6 weeks or 6 years, this should not be the perceived norm. Some women may feel embarrassed to raise their concerns around continence and other intimate issues but this should never be the case. Please seek professional advice early, as with the right help and guidance, these issues can and should be addressed.

The Pelvic Floor Muscles

Your Pelvic Floor is a hugely important part of your body. It is made up of layers of muscle and connective tissue. These layers stretch like a hammock from the tailbone at the back, to the pubic bone in the front. They support your pelvic organs and control your bladder and bowel movements. The front passage (pee hole), the vagina and the back passage (poo hole) all pass through the pelvic floor muscles. Throughout your pregnancy, your pelvic floor has carried the weight of your baby, the placenta and a 50% increase in blood volume! As such, this will greatly affect its ability to do its job properly compared to pre-pregnancy function. It is therefore vital to work on these muscles after having a baby, regardless of the type of birth you had (whether vaginal or C-section).

---

Let’s practice how to correctly engage your pelvic floor…

• Take a deep breath in, fill your lungs completely and allow your pelvic floor to relax.

• As you breathe OUT, close your back passage as if you were holding in a fart, then pull upwards and inwards towards your front passage to close it, as if you were holding in a pee.

• Visualise trying to "squish" your anus (poo hole) to your urethra (pee hole) towards your pubic bone.

• Do this without clenching your butt cheeks, your jaw or tensing your neck and shoulders (tricky, huh?)

• Let everything relax again as you breathe in.
  Repeat x 10

• Now try and engage your pelvic floor as above in 10 x quick flicks on and off.

*Practice turning your pelvic floor on in both sitting and standing positions

**Practice turning your pelvic floor on when doing things at the same time like picking your baby up from his/her cot or picking a toy up from the floor.

---

Why do I still look pregnant months after giving birth?

In the latter stages of pregnancy, the connective tissue or fascia between your outermost abdominal wall (your six-pack muscles) can thin out/stretch to allow for a growing baby bump. After giving birth, you can be left with a gap between the two sides and sometimes it can look like you are still pregnant i.e. the dreaded “mum-tum”. This is called a Diastasis Recti or abdominal separation, a common condition that causes a lot of grief for many mums. However, like any muscle in the body, these can be addressed and worked on with specific corrective exercises - all hope is not lost! The key is to target the deep layer of abdominal muscles. This may mean avoiding certain traditional core stability exercises initially (e.g. sit ups and planks). Your deep abdominal muscles have functional connections to - guess what - the pelvic floor…so it’s a win-win situation all round!

Postnatal Pilates

Pilates is a great form of exercise to target the working relationships of your pelvic floor and core muscles (abdominals and diaphragm) especially in the first few months after having your baby. The benefits of Pilates include:

• Strengthening your Pelvic Floor

• Targeting your deep abdominal muscles to help heal Diastasis Recti

• Addressing muscle imbalances that may be contributing to lower back pain or pelvic girdle pain

• Targeting postural muscles of the back, neck and shoulder girdle

Postnatal Pilates Class at Physio Effect

Here is a short taster video of a postnatal Pilates workout:

---

We Want To Help You Get Your Body Back On Track

Physio Effect specialises in helping mums recover their health, fitness and confidence after having a baby. Our Cry-Baby Pilates classes where new mums attend with their babies has been a great success and very popular. We are working hard to bring this content to full digital online form so that all mums everywhere can enjoy and benefit from this safe, structured and fun specialist postnatal program. For advanced notice of when this course is available and for special early-bird promotional rates please register for your free sample class below and we will keep you informed.

Want to read some REVIEWS about our classes from other mums? Click the links & read below: Yell.Com Reviews or Facebook Reviews

The cry baby Pilates classes led by Mariam were an absolute highlight of my maternity leave. They offered important rehab for all the changes to my body left by pregnancy and a c-section and the strengthening work got me back safely running sooner than I expected - yay! The classes were warm, friendly and supportive and my baby Helena loved meeting the other babies too (as well as getting cheeky cuddles from Mariam). Couldn’t recommend more highly to new mums!

Katherine C via Facebook reviews

I’ve recently completed 2 blocks of Crybaby Pilates with Mariam & would highly recommend it for postnatal recovery. Mariam was great at making you feel relaxed, gradually building up the intensity of the exercises over the weeks so it wasn’t too daunting in the beginning. I liked how the exercises also allowed you to interact with your baby. The classes are small enough that you get the opportunity to get to know the other mums & babies, which helps you feel completely at ease in the class too. I now feel back to my pre-baby self & body, ready to start running & hitting the gym! Thank you!

Keri. L.K via Facebook reviews

Would you like a FREE 30 minute Specialist Postnatal Pilates class to try?

Please Click the following link to register & we will send you a video link to enjoy

---

Returning to Exercise - What do the guidelines say?

• In the first six weeks after giving birth and when you feel you are able, you may commence your pelvic floor and abdominal exercises, functional bodyweight movements, as well as low impact cardiovascular exercise such as walking.

• From six weeks onwards (or a little longer if you’ve had a C-section), you may commence light resistance exercise such as Pilates and light weights training.

• The earliest you should start high impact exercise such as Running/HIIT/Bootcamp is between 3-6 months after having your baby. This of course may differ from person to person depending on the type of birth you had. A recent study for guidance in returning to running post pregnancy by some expert pelvic health physiotherapists can be found here 
  

---

Seek Help & Advice Sooner Rather Than Later

As with everything in life, there isn’t a one size fits all when it comes to returning to exercise after pregnancy. Factors that need to be considered include:

• Type of birth you had; was it a straightforward vaginal birth, a vaginal birth with complications such as forceps delivery/episiotomy/tears, a C-section? The timescales may be different for each case!

• Previous level of exercise (e.g. were you a runner/gym-bunny/Crossfitter before pregnancy?)

• Experiencing symptoms of lower back pain, pelvic or pubic pain, leakage and/or feeling of vaginal heaviness (which could be a sign of pelvic organ prolapse), coccyx/tailbone pain (which could be a sign of a hypertonic or tight pelvic floor)

• Are you currently breast-feeding? Pregnancy hormones stay in the body for about three months postpartum, continuing to loosen joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments as they did in preparation for delivery. For those breast-feeding, hormones can still have a loosening effect even months after you stop.

If you are unsure, it is advisable to seek help from a specialist trained physiotherapist or a pelvic health practitioner.

If you would like to chat to one of our physiotherapists you can use the link below to book an appointment. Or if you prefer send us a message with any questions you have and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

---

Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to read this guide, we hope you find it useful. Please share with anyone else who might benefit and if you have any questions comment and let us know. Please subscribe for regular updates and advice on everything health and fitness related - Zero spam promise.

Postnatal Pilates at Physio Effect

We got a new piece of kit in our Studio!

We are very excited to get a reformer for our studio here at our Northside Clinic in Port Dundas - read more about the reformer here and see Nicki, one of our Massage Therapists demoing it below!

What is the difference between ‘Regular’ and ‘Clinical’ Pilates?

Regular Pilates is conducted by a Pilates instructor, whereas Clinical Pilates is prescribed and supervised by a Physiotherapist. The difference is very important because a physiotherapist has an in-depth knowledge of injury, pathology, body function and movement patterns. The physiotherapist will assess each person and determine which exercises will be the most effective for each individual. This becomes especially important if you have a history of injury such as low back pain, whiplash, hypermobility or an athlete coming back from an injury. There will be certain exercises which need to be adapted specifically for you.

For more information on our Clinical Pilates classes here at Physio Effect, have a look on our Clinical Pilates page