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Author Archives: Carla Mullins
Pilates exercises for children
Fri,Nov 11, 2016 at 06:52AM by Carla Mullins
When working with pilates exercises for children it is important to incorporate upper body strengthening work. Children under the age of 8 years benefit from bear walks and wheelbarrow exercises as a way of helping them to achieve upper limb strength and stability. Remember that the bones in toddlers and children are different to adults……
Pilates exercises for the thoracic spine and diaphragm
Wed,Nov 02, 2016 at 12:30PM by Carla Mullins
The thoracic spine and diaphragm – important considerations for people with scleroderma, asthma or pneumonia In August 2005 my father died from Systemic Scleroderma, a complex autoimmune condition that markedly restricted the mobility of his lungs and diaphragm. In working with him many years ago I realised that there are many limitations in the way pilates teachers…..
Hand arthritis exercises for mobility, strength and control
Fri,Oct 28, 2016 at 02:20PM by Carla Mullins
Hand arthritis Grip, cut, twist, pinch, unbutton, squeeze, wring, prune, chop and type; these 10 things are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the huge array of tasks our hands are capable of performing. Unfortunately for many Australians, hand and wrist arthritis can challenge both the ability to use the hands…..
Pilates reformer training courses for health professionals
Fri,Oct 28, 2016 at 11:23AM by Carla Mullins
Body Organics provides a series of intensive teacher training courses for exercise physiologists, massage therapists, physiotherapists and osteopaths wanting to obtain an understanding of the repertoire and how to teach clients using the apparatus. The series of courses is divided into distinct units that can be undertaken individually or as a set over a period of…..
Pilates hamstring exercise using the Trapeze Table
Wed,Oct 19, 2016 at 05:25PM by Carla Mullins
The hamstrings are an essential group of muscles when we walk and run, and in particular during the “toe off” stage of gait. Unfortunately many people are not as strong in their hamstrings as they should be and can tend to use their back extensors when walking. In such situations people start to complain about…..
Pilates to improve balance and vestibular response
Mon,Oct 10, 2016 at 04:23AM by Carla Mullins
Why do this balance exercise? In this exercise we have adapted the pilates apparatus to help improve the balance and vestibular responses for the client. We have used the pilates arc to create an unstable surface so that the client can improve their toe extension by walking back and forward on the arc. To increase…..
Pilates exercises for multiple sclerosis
Wed,Sep 28, 2016 at 02:50PM by Carla Mullins
The exercise of the week has a focus on helping improve range of motion in the ankle and hip, generally known as dorsiflexion. It uses the traditional pilates apparatus known as a Wunda Chair. The exercise was modified for a pilates client with multiple sclerosis. For whom does the exercise apply? The exercise modification can…..
Hamstring strain exercises from a pilates perspective
Fri,Sep 02, 2016 at 12:45PM by Carla Mullins
Hamstring strain exercises from a pilates perspective: treatment and exercise to promote optimal healing With an increased participation in the various codes of football, Autumn (Fall) can often mean a rise in hamstring injuries; in fact a recent report from the Australian Football League (AFL) found that hamstring strains are still the number one injury…..
Pilates strategies for patella fractures
Fri,Jul 15, 2016 at 05:26PM by Carla Mullins
It seems that sometimes that you just get a flurry of clients, all with a similar issue requiring you to think about how you can modify pilates exercises and pilates equipment to get the best solution. These last few months it has seemed it was going to be the “year of the patella”, with multiple…..
Sciatica Symptoms and Treatment
Thu,May 05, 2016 at 04:56PM by Carla Mullins
Exercises for treating sciatic nerve pain What is sciatica? Sciatica is a term that is often thrown around, but what does it really mean? True sciatica is characterised by pain, discomfort or electric shocks into the back or buttocks, and can radiate past the knee into the foot. Sciatic pain runs in a pattern along one of…..
Reformer Leg & Footwork for Those With Bad Backs
Tue,Apr 19, 2016 at 12:29PM by Carla Mullins
Are leg and footwork on the reformer appropriate for people with bad backs? Leg and footwork on the reformer have become somewhat standardised. I can’t tell you the number of times teachers have told me that they have clients do this reformer work as an easy warm-up or easy preparation for the legs. Comments like this drive me a little…..
Calf Muscle Exercises for Acquired Calf Shortening
Wed,Mar 16, 2016 at 03:28PM by Carla Mullins
Acquired calf shortening and the need for calf muscle exercises What is acquired calf shortening? Acquired Calf Shortening (ACF) is a condition most common in women who regularly wear heels higher than 2.5 cm. ACF is also seen in people who have congenital short soleus and achilles tendon. There are simple calf muscles exercises that…..
Hand Exercises & Wrist Exercises
Sat,Feb 27, 2016 at 02:00AM by Carla Mullins
Hand exercises for use in pilates and movement classes Hand exercises and wrist exercises are important elements of pilates and movement classes, however they are often given little attention as compared to other areas of the body. “The hand is the visible part of the brain.” Immanuel Kant, German philosopher 1724 – 1804 Over the years I…..
Finger Fatigue in Teenage Girls
Wed,Feb 24, 2016 at 11:41AM by Carla Mullins
Does your teen suffer finger fatigue? Does your teenager suffer pains in their fingers, shoulders or neck from texting and hand held devices? Body Organics studio Director Carla Mullins talks about the dangers of finger fatigue in an article featured in the Courier-Mail. Social media and the internet blamed for rise in number of teens with pain…..
Ankle stiffness in runners and athletes
Sun,Feb 21, 2016 at 02:00AM by Carla Mullins
How does ankle stiffness influence the risk of injury in runners? An article I recently read explored the question of dynamic joint stiffness in high-arched and low-arched athletes during a barefoot running task(1). The researchers wondered if ankle stiffness was a potential underlying risk to injury in the two different groups. The importance of this question…..
Labral tears and hip pain
Fri,Feb 12, 2016 at 05:15PM by Carla Mullins
Labral tears and hip pain Labral tears are a common cause of hip pain and associated dysfunction. When we walk, run and move our femurs (thigh bones) move in and around the hip as if there was a mortar in a pestle. The precision of the rhythm is essential in order to minimise injury and…..
De Quervain syndrome – exercises for recovery
Tue,Feb 02, 2016 at 01:27PM by Carla Mullins
What is de Quervain syndrome? De Quervain syndrome is a painful inflammation of tendons in the thumb that extend to the wrist (tenosynovitis). The swollen tendons and their coverings rub against the narrow tunnel through which they pass. The result is pain at the base of the thumb and extending into the lower arm. De…..
Fracture in the family
Sun,Jan 10, 2016 at 08:15PM by Carla Mullins
Pelvic fractures and strategies for dealing with trauma injuries Reflection on the past year is always interesting. Now and again we gain insight into what we should be grateful for and what we have learnt. As I thought about 2015 I realised there was one standout moment that changed things for our family: when my…..
7 key exercise considerations for lymphoedema
Tue,Jan 05, 2016 at 05:35PM by Carla Mullins
This article is a partial extract from our Cancer and Lymphoedema training course being offered from this year, with Santa Barbara Workshop scheduled for April 2018 and New Jersey Workshop in May 2018. The course will take students through the definitions and considerations for various types of cancers as well as the physical consequences of treatment. It…..
Pilates exercises for hip replacements
Wed,Oct 21, 2015 at 05:18PM by Carla Mullins
Hip replacements are more common than many think In 2012-13 there were about 32,000 hip replacement procedures within Australia alone. Obviously this means it is quite a common procedure affecting a substantial number of people, people who could be walking or limping into a typical pilates studio about to have a hip replacement or having…..
Cancer – treatment, survival and exercise
Fri,Sep 11, 2015 at 12:45PM by Carla Mullins
Cancer in its many guises affects one in three Australian men and one in four Australian women and it affects people of all ages, genders, races and socioeconomic classes. However, survival rates differ and women are more likely to survive cancer than men. When it comes to exercise, there is no doubt that cancer patients…..