Pilates Helps Hypermobility, Parkinson's & More!
Pilates Teacher Jenny Pritchett assists Gabby Shull (front) and Zoe Riesen (back).
Sonya Riesen always knew that her 13-year-old daughter Zoe had hypermobile joints. Her knees and elbows extended backwards. Her pelvis tilted strongly forward. Her weak ankles couldn't withstand jumps and turnouts in her competitive dance program. And when she tumbled backwards in gymnastics, her spine and hips rotated sideways instead of straight.
But at age 10, when Zoe started waking up in the middle of the night in pain and couldn't stand for more than a few minutes before feeling that she would pass out, Sonya recognized that her daughter was dealing with something more serious than excessive flexibility. Many visits to physical therapists, rheumatologists, and other medical specialists followed. Finally, the Riesens found an orthopedic doctor who specializes in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and a pediatric cardiologist who specializes in Postural Orthostatic Tachychardia Syndrome (POTS). Zoe was diagnosed with both conditions.
EDS is a hereditary condition that affects the connective tissues of the body. It can cause a host of problems including chronic fatigue, stretchy and fragile skin, food sensitivities, hip dysplasia, and autoimmune disorders. POTS is disorder of the autonomic nervous system that can cause fainting, rapid drop in blood pressure, skipped heart beats, and chest pain.
“When people have joint hypermobility, they can actually end up with very tight muscles because the muscles are trying to get some stabilization inside of the joint,” says Libby Hinsley, author of Yoga for Bendy People.
Sonya began researching ways to help her daughter and discovered that strength training from Pilates could be beneficial. She brought Zoe to Holly's Pilates Village last September, and she's been taking private and semiprivate Pilates lessons with Pilates Teacher Jenny Pritchett and other instructors ever since.
Zoe's dance coaches have been so impressed by her greater strength and stability that they've encouraged every student to take Pilates lessons. Gabby Shull, one of Zoe's dance friends who also has hypermobility, became her Pilates duet partner in February.
“Zoe absolutely loves Jenny. She's always excited to go and do Pilates," Sonya says. “She truly has changed since she's been there. She felt stronger in her ankles this past year in dance and she's really accelerated quickly, and that comes from Pilates.”
Sonya says she recognizes that Zoe will likely need to practice Pilates throughout her life.
“This is one of those things that you have to be proactive," Sonya says. “I see young people at the EDS clinic, and they are in wheelchairs and wearing body splints because it hurts to stand up. If you don't put in the work now you will end up that way.”
Want to Master Pilates? Start by Slowing Down!
Pilates Student Natasha Collins says no other form of exercise goes as deeply to balance strength, stability, and flexibility. She has been practicing Pilates for more than a decade.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld recently recalled being influenced early in his career by an issue of Esquire magazine titled: “Mastery: The Secret of Ultimate Fitness.”
In the issue, Editor George Leonard explains that “the modern world can be viewed as a prodigious conspiracy against mastery. We are bombarded with promises of fast, temporary relief, immediate gratification, and instant success, all of which lead in exactly the wrong direction.”
Leonard says that to master new skills, whether in Pilates or pickleball, adults would be better off practicing the way children do – by being curious, present, and willing to make mistakes. Over time, the repetitive physical movements lead to “muscle memory,” which might seem like effortless performance, but which actually reflect countless hours of practice.
If you look around Holly's Pilates Village, you will notice people of all ages and abilities who are on their journey toward mastery. However, you may be surprised by the students considered most successful:
They're not necessarily the most proficient movers, but rather are lifelong learners who are always curious about what comes next.
They're not impatiently pushing to get to the most “advanced” class, but rather have recognized the value of slowing down to learn more deeply.
They're not easily discouraged by the inevitable plateaus that all learners reach, but rather appreciate how far they've come.
They're not angrily bound up by the elusive standards of their egos, but rather find joy in the playfulness of their regular practice.
Practicing is purposeful and fulfilling. Practicing keeps you sharp. Practicing is essential to mastery.
Despite being financially and professionally successful, Jerry Seinfeld says he keeps practicing and working his craft at age 70 “because if you don't in standup comedy — if you don't do it a lot — you stink.”
Likewise, longtime Pilates practitioner Natasha Collins relishes being able to perform many exercises with ease, but she also appreciates the precision that a good coach can help her find in a routine move.
“That's the money,” Natasha said with satisfaction when her teacher showed her that she was skipping part of her spinal elongation and needed to concentrate on what was hardest rather than what was easiest. “No other form of exercise gets that.”
Ask Holly's Pilates Village Teacher Tiffany Clayton why she maintains a weekly practice of a private, semi-private, and two group classes despite her heavy teaching load, and she explains: “I need to experience it in my body so I can teach it better."
Moving toward mastery is a life-long journey. Let's all keep working at it.
“If you stay on it long enough, you'll discover that the path is a vivid place, with its ups and downs, its challenges, comforts, its surprises, its disappointments, and unconditional joys,” Leonard writes. “Having a great deal of experience at something worthwhile makes you enjoy working at it. Enjoying what you work at results in you wanting to get more experience.”
Holly's Pilates Village Teachers Add New Credentials!
Teachers at Holly's Pilates Village are continually training to improve their knowledge and skills. Two instructors recently completed professional development that will enable them to use new techniques with students.
Dawn Adcock is now a certified Professional Instructor in the Sissel Academy's Spinefitter. The Spinefitter is a Pilates prop that helps to bring the back in balance through stimulation, relaxation, and mobilization of blocked joints and muscles.
Sheila Heller is now an Advanced Techniques Graduate (Level 2) instructor in Pilates for Neurological Conditions. The Neuro Studio's training guides Pilates teachers, physical therapists, and other health professionals so they can assist people with neurological disorders, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. The Neuro Studio integrates brain science with exercise to enhance performance and improve neurological function.
Pilates for Parkinson's Disease: We're Getting The Word Out!
Steve Lancaster simultaneously improves his hand-eye coordination and cognitive function as he calls out letters and numbers that he tracks on the Brain-Speed Ball at Holly's Pilates Village.
Targeted exercise can profoundly change the lives of those living with neurological disease, which is why Holly's Pilates Village has become the state's premier center for brain-based exercise targeting neurological disease and injuries.
Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, with more than 90,000 people diagnosed each year. Although men are twice as likely to have Parkinson's disease, women have faster disease progression and have a higher mortality rate.
To help spread the word about our programming for Parkinson's, Holly's Pilates Village has partnered with the National Parkinson's Institute to present a free informational session on Saturday August 3. Join Neuro-Pilates Teachers Holly Holland and Sheila Heller at the National Parkinson's Institute's Monthly Meeting, 11 am to 12 pm at the University of Louisville Health – Medical Center East Emergency Room, 2920 Dutchmans Lane.
“As I have navigated my journey with Parkinson's, I am grateful for Holly's Pilates Village," says Becky Fangman, who has Parkinson's disease and also participates in many of the programming options provided by the National Parkinson's Institute. "My experience with Holly and Sheila has been truly life-changing. The instructors are knowledgeable and can easily describe how to isolate muscles I did not know I had. They truly understand how one part of the body can affect another. I appreciate their affirming teaching methods. The experience has been very beneficial to my well-being and quality of life.”
