Knee Care Pilates

RON FLETCHER’S STORY ON THE ‘MAGIC MACHINE’

Some of the best Pilates instructors started Pilates due to an injury or pain. Ron Fletcher (1921 – 2011,) an influential Pilates teacher and dance choreographer was one of them. Chronic knee pain almost ended his dance career, Fletcher said in his autobiography.

That was until a schoolmate suggested he try Pilates. “Almost 50 years ago, and I clearly recall how good it felt,” Fletcher said of the fateful day. It was around 1945 in New York City.

Joseph Pilates (1883 – 1967,) who invented Pilates, put him on the reformer, which Fletcher described as the “magic machine.” Pilates created the reformer to help invalids, interned at Knockaloe during World War I. The men could not get out of bed, so Pilates invented the reformer, a moving bed made of springs and straps for resistance, to help them exercise and get well.

The Knockaloe camp is located on the Isle of Man, off the coast of Great Britain and Ireland. Joseph Pilates, a German living in Great Britain at the time of WWI, was interned at Knockaloe due to strong anti-German sentiment in Britain during the war. After the war, he returned to Germany. Shortly after, in the early 1920s, Pilates emigrated to the United States and set up a studio in New York City. He was living in New York when Fletcher met him.

The iconic Pilates reformer, which you see in Pilates studios, as well as in gyms and rehabilitation centres of hospitals, still looks very much like the original equipment Joseph Pilates created. The springs from the original reformer were believed to have come from bed mattresses. The use of springs for resistance is the most distinctive characteristic of Pilates exercise.

BENEFITS OF THE REFORMER

“That Reformer is a brilliant piece of Pilates,” said Fletcher, who would take Pilates to Hollywood and make it popular. Screen legends like Eva Gabor and Steve McQueen were among his clients.

Fletcher said it does not matter if you feel weak or have injured one part of the body. Lying supine on the reformer, you would still be able to “properly engage” and exercise specific muscle groups, that you would need to strengthen in order to get better. The “ingeniously placed” springs and straps allow you to be “unhampered by your own weight,” said Fletcher.

So if gym workout or doing aerobic exercises is too much of a load for your knees, the Pilates reformer is a good equipment to help you stay fit. Exercising on the reformer allows you strengthen leg muscles and practice better alignment, without being in a standing position.

STRENGTHEN CORE, STRETCH TIGHT MUSCLES 

Pilates exercises also improve core strength, and help you stretch out tight muscles:

“I believe that I am the most fortunate person to be lengthened out and centered on the Pilates Reformer by Joseph H. Pilates,” said Fletcher.

Even for Fletcher who was in his late twenties at the time, his recovery took time.

“It was a slow time at Pilates, so I fortunately was given a lot of time and attention, learning so many things from this brilliant, impatient, sometimes irascible tough old German who seemed ageless,” Fletcher said of his experience with the great man.

Fletcher recovered from his chronic knee pain, and would become a successful dance choreographer. After his career ended, he moved to Hollywood, where he opened a Pilates studio. His Pilates career would bring him more enduring success. You can read more about his life and work online at Fletcher Pilates.

START TODAY

The Pilates reformer is one of the best equipment for rehabilitation and to stay fit. As you get better, Pilates offers exercise progression to take you further on your recovery and fitness.

For example, you may start off lying on the reformer, but eventually, you could be kneeling, standing or even planking on the reformer! You would also be doing exercises on the mat and on other Pilates equipment. Beside the reformer, Joseph Pilates also invented the trapeze table or the Cadillac, the Pilates barrel and chair. You would never get bored with the exercise. You can stay active even with knee pain. Give Pilates a try today.

We offer Pilates 1-to-1, Duet and Group classes. If your knee pain is persistent, we also offer Manual Therapy for Knee Care to loosen  muscle tension at the knee before the exercise. Manual therapy can be done with Pilates 1-to-1, or as a separate session. Select from below the programme that best suits you:

Knee Care Programmes

Knee Pain Remedy

Pilates 1-to-1

Are you starting to feel a dull ache or pain on your knee when you walk or run? Or has Zumba or line dancing become too strenuous for your knees? Try Pilates for fitness and knee rehabilitation. What you will receive:

  • A personalised Pilates session to suit your need
  • Do leg exercises on the reformer without pain; strengthen the knees and improve leg alignment
  • Stretch your quads and hamstrings, the main muscles of the knee, while strengthening your core muscles
  • Improve sitting and standing posture
  • Go slow on exercises you find difficult, speed up on exercises you find easy; exercise at a pace that suits you: good for beginners
  • Access to Rehabilitation for pain relief, manual therapy is included in the session at no extra charge. See Knee Care Manual Therapy for more details

Sign up for a trial today

 (65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below

Manual therapy for knee pain relief and movement

Knee Care Manual Therapy

You want to exercise and stay fit, but the knee pain is preventing you from doing more. If the pain is persistent, and certain area of the knee feels tight, try manual therapy for knee rehabilitation. What you will receive:

  • An assessment of the pain and range of motion
  • Manual therapy to loosen muscle tension on the knee joint: feel better
  • Improve knee movement: improve knee flexion and extension, walk with less restriction
  • Receive stretching and strengthening exercises for the knee which you can do at home
  • Address the leg misalignment such as bowed leg or knocked knee for more long-term relief; also address related pain, such as back or hip pain which may accompany the knee pain
  • Have access to Pilates exercises to stretch and strengthen further; Pilates is included at no extra charge

Sign up for a trial today

(65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below.

Share the joy of Pilates

Pilates Duet

You want to try Pilates, and share the experience with a loved one or friend. Our sweetheart sessions may just be the answer:

  • Strengthen and stretch in a programme designed for you both. Find a better match between your need and interest, and the exercise
  • The exercises will also address specific aches or pain you have; avoid injury
  • Flexible timing to suit your schedule, so you rarely miss a session; improve with regular practice
  • Build lean muscles, get back into shape
  • Improve your sitting and standing posture; experience less aches and pain
  • Option to top-up for a 3rd person, a loved one or friend, to join you in class; pay per use

Sign up for a trial today

 (65) 6996 4396 today or sign up below

Small Pilates Group Class

Group Class Pilates

We know everyone is different, so we offer a variety of group classes for Fitness, Rehab, Prenatal and Active Aging to meet your special goals:

  • Fitness: do you want to get back to shape and be fitter? Our Reformer & Mat Flow allow you to take a combination of reformer and mat exercises for a well-rounded workout
  • Rehab: Reformer Care taps into the benefits of Pilates for Rehabilitation
  • Prenatal: enjoy core exercises with other mothers-to-be in a class solely for you
  • Active Aging: if you are 65 years and above, the Gold Class helps you achieve your goals of staying active and pain free
  • Small class size of 4 – 6 participants to 1 instructor, receive the attention you need
  • Many classes to choose from, never miss a session

Sign up for a trial today from $60* only

*T&Cs apply.

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    Testimonials

    My Parents Really Enjoy the Senior Gold Class

    Hidden Pilates gem in the area! May is an amazing and passionate Pilates instructor! She is extremely attentive to my parents who have been attending the senior Pilates Gold class for more than half a year - and has helped them train full body muscles to improve balance, weight distribution when walking and assuage their knee pain. My parents really enjoy her classes and feedback that she’s extremely patient on guiding them to make the right Pilates postures! Adding on, they also highlight her facilities are very clean! Thumbs up~
    Wendy

    Given Me Hope That I'll Walk Normally Again

    May has given me hope that I will in the near future, be able to walk normally again with minimal pain in my knees. She is great at getting to the root of the problem, in correcting muscular imbalances through manual therapy, pilates and home exercises. Thank you, May!
    Christina

    Countering the Effects of Medication, Feeling Stronger

    Post surgery, I was looking for a physical trainer to partner with in counteracting the effects of long term medication, and in building a stronger body for health reasons. After a year of training with May, my walking gait has improved, knees feel stronger and better supported by muscular mass built through exercises planned by May. I feel confident that I can depend on her expertise to address pain in the body and more importantly learn new habits to slowly build a stronger, pain-free body. Thank you May for being a very important part of my healing process!
    Sandra

    Relieves Knee Pain, Improves Fitness

    I'm glad to have May as my Pilates instructor. May has helped me with my bad knee through exercises and orthopedic manipulation. She is also very patient, and committed to my body's improvement beside my knee.
    Ai Lin

    Knee exercises and activities that I can continue on my own

    Working overseas, I came back to Singapore for a short four week holiday and thought I should get some Pilates classes to further strengthen my weak knee due to a meniscus tear. I found Move Therapy by googling and signed up for my 1-to1 trial class. May went through my problem and what the doctors did for me. She then designed a set of exercises and activities which I could continue on my own when I go back to work, overseas. After my first trial lesson, I was just so amazed by the differences in my legs. When I arrived back in Singapore, although I’ve recuperated from the meniscus tear through physiotherapy and physical therapy at the hospital, my legs still felt swollen and stiff. I was not able to bend my knees. My attempts at swimming, which was recommended by the doctor, was hard, as I wasn't sure how to move anymore. After my first session with May, my leg muscles felt more relaxed and subsequent sessions continued to make me feel I’m near full recovery. The exercises and activities May prescribed were easy enough to continue at home and in a gym anywhere I go. Thanks!
    Angelina

    I'm running more, have less injury

    I am an avid runner. I run 10km a few times a week. I had hurt my ankles, calves just to name a few of the body parts I’d injured from running. Many of times I didn’t wait until I have completely recovered before I resumed running. It had resulted in the injury being prolonged. After attending May’s Pilates classes for about a year, I have gained better awareness of my body and movement. May taught me a lot about core strengthening, maintaining good posture and about movement. I’m more aware of my running posture. I find myself correcting my posture on the go like altering my foot alignment when I encounter discomfort, as well as how to stretch after. I can run more often because I have less injury now. Thank you May.
    Justin

    NO MORE KNEE PAIN

    "I was so worried about climbing Wutai Shan (Shanxi, China) because I'd knee pain. I wanted to  perform the Buddhist rite of walk, pray and kneel on every three steps up the 1,080 stairs of the sacred mountain. It was the main reason for going. It would be very difficult to do with my kneecap problem. My sister recommended Move Therapy to me. After one session, I was so surprised there was no more pain on my kneecap. I felt I was walking with very light steps. The relief was so immediate, it took me by surprise. Of course, I continued to roll after, using the foam roller. It wasn't just from one class at Move Therapy, but the class showed me how to and on which area of my legs I should focus on when I roll. I was able to walk, pray and kneel up Wutai Shan. A wish come true. No knee pain. Thank you."
    Beng Lee