Jane Hamilton Pilates

Pilates for a Frozen Shoulder

Derek

Derek came to our Pilates classes with a frozen shoulder that had been improving but had stalled in treatments. He had very poor back mobility generally in extension, flexion, side flexion and rotation. The beginners classes were a must to take things slowly and build up as I didnʼt want Derek to suffer any strains or sprains through the classes and have any setbacks. The 2 beginners classes per week were needed to build strength and mobility and after a few terms of beginners Derek was able to move on to the intermediate class.

Derek now performs the moves with excellent technique and posture. It is now like looking at a different person on screen, Derekʼs strength, mobility and flexibility has vastly improved and it is clear to see.

Hereʼs what Derek has to say…

My wife, who had been doing Pilates with Jane for a number of years, suggested I should give it a try. My latest injury was a frozen right shoulder from September 2019, and by May 2021 the movement regained was around 70% and not improving. In addition to this injury I had a long-standing issue with my lower spine having slipped a disc many years before. My balance and core strength had also deteriorated over the past few years too.

The primary objectives of giving Pilates a try was to improve the mobility of my right shoulder and strengthen the area around my lower back.

Having contacted Jane, it was suggested that 2 classes a week was likely to be most beneficial to me as the regularity of classes would help maintain any gains that I might see.

So in May 2021 I began Pilates as a total novice.

Within the first 6 months I noticed quite a few improvements, so much so that I was moved up into the intermediate/advanced class. The improvements included –

  • suppleness and mobility
  • balance
  • core strength
  • stability around my lower back
  • posture
  • strength
  • mobility in right shoulder up to nearer 90%

It has now been a year since I began Pilates and all of the improvements made in the first 6 months are all still there and have all improved. My shoulder mobility is over 90%, whilst I have had no issues around my lower back. I have done a lot of heavy gardening projects recently involving moving bricks, cement, logs and tonnes of gravel and grit with no issues whatsoever.

And in the past few weeks my shoulder mobility has improved sufficiently to allow me to start swinging my golf clubs properly again for the first time in close on 3 years. Hopefully I can now work on getting my handicap down from a high single figure back to something respectable.

As someone on immunosuppressants, the ability to attend an online Pilates class was essential. From the outset Jane was excellent at looking into my specific requirements. For example, Jane provided me with additional exercises tailored to my shoulder problem to do at home, and different positions to allow for the same issue during the classes themselves. The classes are not too large, so Jane is able to focus on our technique and point us in the right direction.

Excellent teacher, excellent classes and amazing results.

Derek Iʼm so pleased you are back to playing golf again which you enjoy so much and that you have no issues now in your back. Also good to hear the range of movement at your shoulder is back to nearly 100%. Frozen shoulders are notorious for taking a long time to heal but doing the correct exercises at the right time and building up repeats slowly in class was the way to go!