Clinical pilates for cervical and thoracic postural corrections

Stage 3: Clinical Pilates for cervical and thoracic postural corrections

You are superb on achieving stage 3!

Once you read this page answer the questions on the sheet given by your clinician at The Brisbane Headache and Migraine Clinic™ and bring that to your next treatment session. The key to all these exercises is to always retract and draw your head backwards.

Level 1

a. Swan preparation:

1. Lying on your stomach with the forehead resting on the head cushion with your chin
   tucked in. Arms and palms on the floor in a stop sign beside your head. Legs extended
   straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down
3. Lift the head and chest off the ground, and do not push through the hands
4. Retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look straight down to the ground
5. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat twice

b. Breaststroke arm:

1. Lying on your stomach with the forehead resting on the head cushion with your chin
   tucked in. Arms and palms on the floor in a stop sign beside your head. Legs extended
   straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down and lift the hands just off the
   floor
3. Exhale and reach your arms over your head squeezing the shoulder blades back and
   down
4. Inhale and draw your elbows beside your body squeezing the shoulder blades back
   and down
5. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

c. Flight

1. Lying on your stomach with the forehead resting on the head cushion with your chin
2. tucked in. Arms beside the body with the palms facing down. Legs extended straight.
3. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down and lift the arms just off the floor
4. Rotate the arms turning the palms up and down, keeping the hands off the floor
5. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

Level 2

a. Breaststroke arm modification 2:

1. Lying on your stomach with the forehead resting on the head cushion with your chin
   tucked in. Arms and palms on the floor in a stop sign beside your head. Legs extended
   straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down and lift the arms just off the floor
3. Lift the head and chest off the ground
4. Retract your neck, draw your chin back and look straight down to the ground
5. Exhale and reach your arms over your head squeezing the shoulder blades back and
   down
6. Inhale and draw your elbows beside your body squeezing the shoulder blades back
   and down
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

b. Flight modification 2:

1. Lying on your stomach with the forehead resting on the head cushion with your chin
   tucked in. Arms beside the body with the palms facing down. Legs extended straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down and lift the arms just off the floor
3. Lift the head and chest off the ground
4. Retract your neck, draw your chin back and look straight down to the ground
5. Exhale and rotate the arms turning the palms up and down, keeping the hands off the
   floor for five beats
6. Inhale and continue for five beats
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

Level 3

a. Breaststroke arm modification 3:

1. Lying on your stomach with the theraband below your chest. Forehead resting on the
   head cushion with your chin tucked in. Arms and palms on the floor in a stop sign
   beside your head. Legs extended straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down, grab the theraband and lift the
   arms just off the floor
3. Lift the head and chest off the ground
4. Retract your neck, draw your chin back and look straight down to the ground
5. Exhale and reach your arms over your head squeezing the shoulder blades back and
   down
6. Inhale and draw your elbows beside your body squeezing the shoulder blades back
   and down
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

b. Flight modification 3:

1. Lying on your stomach with the theraband below your chest. Forehead resting on the
   head cushion with your chin tucked in. Arms beside the body with the palms facing
   down. Legs extended straight.
2. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down, grab the theraband and lift the
   arms just off the floor
3. Lift the head and chest off the ground
4. Retract your neck, draw your chin back and look straight down to the ground
5. Exhale and rotate the arms turning the palms up and down, keeping the hands off the
   floor for five beats
6. Inhale and continue for five beats
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

Level 4

a. Swan preparation on ball:

1. Lying on the front with the ball under the stomach, the hands on the ball beside the
2. body. Legs straight, slightly apart and turned out. Press the public bone into the ball,
3. and no downward pressure applied through the arms at all.
4. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down
5. Lift the head and chest off the ball, and do not push through the hands
6. Retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look straight down to the ground
7. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat twice

b. Breaststroke arm on ball:

1. Lying on the front with the ball under the stomach, elbows bent beside the shoulder.
2. Legs straight, slightly apart and turned out. Press the public bone into the ball.
3. Raise the chest slightly and retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look straight down to the ground
4. Exhale and reach your arms over your head squeezing the shoulder blades back and
   down
5. Inhale and draw your elbows beside your body squeezing the shoulder blades back
   and down while lifting the chest higher off the ball
6. Exhale and release the chest half way down and reach your arms overhead
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

c. Freestyle arm on ball:

1. Lying on the front with the ball under the stomach, arms are outstretched overhead with
   the palms facing down. Legs straight, slightly apart and turned out. Press the public
   bone into the ball.
2. Raise the chest slightly and retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look
   straight down to the ground
3. Exhale and alternate the arms up and down for five beats
4. Inhale for five beats
5. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

Level 5

a. Plough on reformer:

1. Springs: Men = 0.5-2 Women = 0.5-1.5
2. Lying with your chest at the end of the box. Legs straight with toes pointed. Arms
   holding the ropes with palms facing in
3. Raise the chest slightly and retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look
   straight down to the ground
4. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down
5. Exhale and slowly sweep the arms towards the ground and continue to sweep the arms
   beside your thighs squeezing the shoulder blades together back and down
6. Inhale and slowly sweep the arms down returning to start position squeezing the
   shoulder blades together back and down
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

b. Aeroplane on reformer:

1. Springs: Men = 0.5-2 Women = 0.5-1.5
2. Lying with your chest at the end of the box. Legs straight with toes pointed. Arms
   straight inline with your face holding the ropes with the palms facing down
3. Raise the chest slightly and retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look
   straight down to the ground
4. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down
5. Exhale and slowly sweep the arms to the side parallel to the ground and continue to
   sweep the arms beside your thighs squeezing the shoulder blades together back and down
6. Inhale and slowly sweep the arms to the side returning to start position squeezing the shoulder blades together back and down
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times

c. Triceps on reformer:

1. Springs: Men = 0.5-2 Women = 0.5-1.5
2. Lying with your chest at the end of the box. Legs straight with toes pointed. Hands in
   straps, elbows tucked beside your waist, palms facing inwards.
3. Raise the chest slightly and retract your neck by drawing your chin back and look
   straight down to the ground
4. Squeeze the shoulder blades together back and down
5. Exhale maintain this position and straighten your elbows reaching the hands past the
   thighs, squeezing the shoulder blades together back and down
6. Inhale and slowly bend the elbows back to start position squeezing the shoulder blades
   together back and down
7. Repeat this movement as slow as you can 10 times