Curves, Twists and Bends: A Practical Guide to Pilates for Scoliosis

by Annette Wellings, Alan Herdman

Overview

Written in response to the many requests for a practical and accessible guide to exercise for scoliosis sufferers, Curves, Twists and Bends combines the experience of Annette Wellings, who has major scoliosis, with that of Alan Herdman, the UK's leading Pilates teacher.

This clear and concise book explains what scoliosis is, its symptoms, and its physical and psychological impact. It includes a series of Pilates exercises, designed by the authors specifically to promote flexibility, posture and muscle strength in scoliosis sufferers, and also vital information on what exercises to avoid. It offers basic strategies and practical tips for living with the condition, including useful advice on diet, rest, sitting, carrying and how to dress. Written with the full range of scoliosis sufferers in mind, Pilates for Scoliosis emphasises the importance and feasibility of gentle exercise for keeping the body as healthy and flexible as possible.

Curves, Twists and Bends: A Practical Guide to Pilates for Scoliosis will be indispensible to individuals with scoliosis and their families as well as to physical therapists, Pilates instructors and other professionals who advise scoliosis patients on exercise and lifestyle options.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857010094
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	09/15/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Annette Wellings is a Pilates instructor who suffers from major scoliosis. She began exploring different ways of keeping her body flexible and healthy whilst working as a linguist and artist in Australia. Subsequently, she retrained in rehabilitation Pilates.

Alan Herdman is the UK's leading practitioner of Pilates. After introducing Pilates to the UK in 1970, he went on to establish studios both here and in several other countries. He continues to adapt and develop new exercises to address the needs of every client he consults with. He currently teaches doctors, professional dancers and sportsmen and women, as well as people with a wide variety of physical disabilities.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Part 1. Understanding and Awareness. 1.1 What is Scoliosis? Structural and Non-Structural Scoliosis. Symptoms. Idiopathic Scoliosis. Causes. 1.2. Wide Variation of Types. Location of the Curve. Shape of the Curve. Degree of the Curve. Vertebral Rotation. Rib Hump. Kyphosis, Lordosis, Flat Back. 1.3. Four Common Patterns of Curvature. 1.4. The Psychology of Scoliosis. Coping Mechanisms. 1.5. Mind and Body Link. The Bossy Muscle. The Spine Bends Under Physical and Psychological Pressure. Part 2. Exercises for Flexibility and Posture. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. Principles of Exercise for Scoliosis. 2.3. Posture and Alignment. 2.4. Exercises. Preparation. The Basic Top Ten Exercises. Stretches. De-Rotation. Lengthening. Letting Go of Bossy Muscle. Teaching the Weak Side to Talk. Pelvic Stability. 2.5. Index of Exercises. 2.6. What Exercises to Avoid. 2.7. Possible Goals and Outcomes. 2.8. More About Pilates.

Editorial Reviews

This is a practical and accessible guide to exercise for scoliosis sufferers, including information about the condition, practical lifestyle tips, and a series of pilates exercises that promote flexibility, posture and muscle strength. Combining the experience of Annette Wellins, a pilates teacher with major scoliosis, and Alan Herdman, a leading pilates teacher to doctors, professional dancers and sportspeople, the book may be useful not only to individuals with scoliosis and their families, but also tho physical therapists, pilates instructors and other healthcare professionals.

International Therapist

The book is a useful tool for addressing scoliosis through exercise, both for those who have the condition and for Pilates instructors with scoliotic clients... Wellings and Herdman have assembled a set of 34 exercises primarily focused on stretching and lengthening, that are appropriate for people with symptoms ranging from mild to severe scoliosis, and even for the general population.

PilatesPro