Around 18 months ago, Becky Woodington,
56, was diagnosed with severe
spinal stenosis, anteriorlisthesis and
degenerative disc disease — conditions
that affected her back and caused her to
be in chronic pain. Instead of seeking relief
from her discomfort through medication,
Woodington looked for ways to
seek relief through exercise. A 15-year
member at the Colorado Athletic Club
(CAC) Inverness, she signed up for private
STOTT PILATES® lessons with
Natalie Gennett, the Pilates coordinator
at CAC.
Many people diagnosed with Woodington’s
conditions require surgery and
experience muscle weakness.
In some instances,
severe spinal stenosis
can even lead
to paralysis. Woodington
turned to
Gennett in hopes of
counteracting some
of the worst possible
symptoms of her condition. The issue
she struggled with the most was mobility
— the muscles around her spine felt
extremely tight, inhibiting movement.
Fortunately, Pilates helped with this
particular side effect. “With my condition
your body freezes up,” said Woodington.
“Pilates is the number one thing
that gives you space in your spine to
give you range of motion.”
With Woodington’s condition in
mind, Gennett personalized the STOTT
PILATES method to accommodate for
Woodington’s pain and stiffness. “With
Becky’s injury, postural programming is
key, and also listening to information she
is providing from her experiences with
her doctors, surgeons and other practitioners,”
explained Gennett. “Her muscles
around her hips and her hamstrings,
for example, feel very tight to her because
they are constantly contracting
to stabilize her spine. I work on bringing
balance to those areas and restoring
her to pain free and functional. I know
we have success by the way
she feels by the end of
the session.”
However, Woodington’s
condition
causes some
limitations. Implementing
cardiovascular
exercises into
Woodington’s routine has been an issue
the duo tackled with the STOTT
PILATES Cardio-Tramp™. A trampoline,
the Cardio-Tramp allowed Woodington
to conduct low-impact cardio
and blast calories. “Becky enjoys it,
which is key in any exercise program,”
said Gennett. “I use all the STOTT PILATES
equipment to vary the routine,
always including the Cadillac, and proprioceptive
and balance training tools
like rotational discs and the mini-stability
ball.”
Woodington has taken Pilates lessons
at a different facility, but said that
nothing compared to her private lessons
with Gennett. “She’s extremely
attentive to every muscle you move
— everything has to be a certain way,”
said Woodington. “It’s amazing how
our bodies tend to do the same thing
over and over again incorrectly. Natalie
makes you focus on the correct area
to get the proper movement.”
Since working with Gennett, Woodington
has been fortunate to remain
virtually pain free on most days. “Most
people who know my condition can’t
believe it,” said Woodington. “I used
to go to the Colorado Athletic Club
to work out, and now I go there to get
well.”
It’s important for clubs to create options
for members who have physical
limitations such as Woodington’s, and
Pilates is a great way to do that. It’s
also important to stress that pain isn’t
always normal. “I feel that often in a
gym environment people push through
pain, either out of their own perception
of what working out is, or because that
is the culture the club promotes via
their marketing and staff,” said Gennett.
“Especially as people move out
of their 20s and 30s, they do too much
‘going for the burn,’ and too much
pushing, period, when it would benefit
them to take stock, listen to their
pain and find better, healthier, more
functional approaches to working their
bodies. It’s important that clubs reach
members with that message,” she said.
How do you teach your members
about managing pain? Maybe Pilates is
the answer for many of your members.
Spend some time asking what their issues
might be, and think about some
new ways to help them enjoy life, pain
free.