Parkinson’s Disease and Pilates - why the Chair and Cadillac is preferred over the Reformer, Barrel, or Mat

​​I noticed over the years that my patients with Parkinson's Disease, who do Pilates not only deteriorate slower, but actually, improve and make progress. They are less stiff, able to stand up taller, have better balance and better control over their bodies and movements. 

In this article I am sharing my experience teaching Pilates to patients with Parkinson's Disease, and explain why I prefer the Pilates Chair and Cadillac over the Barrel, Spine Corrector, Mat, Ped-I-Pole or Reformer. ​

Pilates Chair is great for patients with Parkinson's Disease

Ideally I encourage my patients to practice Pilates 2-3x weekly to make progress and slow deterioration. When that is not possible I give them a home exercise program based on their specific needs and limitations. 

The Reformer: I love the Reformer work, however, I found that my patients with Parkinson's  have a hard time with the Reformer, as it is hard for them to sit down, hard for them to hold their legs up while doing Supine Arm Work, or hold their legs while doing Feet in Straps, and they just overall have a hard time with the transitions. ​

Reformer Pilates is hard for patients with Parkinson's Disease

The same goes for the Mat work, the Barrel and Spine Corrector. Patients with Parkinson's are usually very stiff, and have a hard time moving their bodies on their own and work against gravity.
I found that my patients made very minimal progress with these four equipments, therefore I avoid the Reformer, the Mat, the Barrel and the Spine Corrector with these patients. ​

Pilates Cadillac is very beneficial for patients with Parkinson's Disease

What I found patients made the most progress with is the Cadillac and the Chair. 
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The Cadillac allows patients to lay comfortably on the stable surface (as opposed to the moving surface of the Reformer).
The Roll Down  Bar allows to find and strengthen the core muscles.

The leg springs are different on the Cadillac from the Reformer. On the Cadillac patients are supported, and they can hold the poles behind them for additional support. The leg springs are fantastic for Patients with Parkinson's: they help improve range of motion in the hips, teach pelvic stability and stretch the hamstrings.

The Push Through Bar helps to move, stretch and mobilize the spine in various ways. ​

Standing Pilates exercises teach coordination and balance for patients with Parkinson's Disease

The Cadillac also allows for standing exercises - the standing arm work is fantastic to further mobilize, stretch and strengthen the arms, back and core while challenging balance and coordination. 

The Chair I found is fantastic to strengthen the legs, mobilize the ankle, improve leg alignment, balance and great also for core work, and overall full body strengthening. 

Ped-i-Pole Pilates for Parkinson's Disease

Ped-I-Pole helps to train vertically, with neutral pelvis, which is the way we live our daily lives. The heels, butt, mid back and head is supposed to stay against the pole while doing the exercises. I would say the Ped-I-Pole is too advanced for most patient’s with Parkinson’s, but is still an important tool to train on.

Pilates allows patients with Parkinson's to gain flexibility, balance and better control over their body and movements.

Pilates isolates muscle groups, and then ties them together for functional training. This allows patients with Parkinson's to gain flexibility, balance and better control over their body and movements. 

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