Call Button
If you need to lie down or are lacking concentration due to headaches or migraines, Book your appointment today

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

1 2

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

3 4

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

swan5 swan6

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

swan7

swan8 swan10

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

5

5 swan13

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

swan14 swan15

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

swan16 swan17

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

swan18 swan19

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

swan20 swan21

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

swan21 swan22

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

The Assessment

Phase 1

Accurately diagnose your condition for effective treatment

The Treatment

Phase 2

Experience the latest treatment methods that are evidence-based

The Results

Phase 3

A life free from migraines or headaches is now proven possible

The Difference

Phase 4

A medication-free solution that treats the cause not the symptons

Call for relief  1800 HEADACHE