Forum / Let's Discuss! / Chair%20
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| Debra Tourek On: June 20, 2014 20:41 PM |
Hi Ladies, Just started your Chair & Barrel Refresher Course! I am a Fletcher Pilates teacher and work in Reno, NV. I have been teaching Pilates (first training through PhysicalMind) for over 14 years. I am always looking to keep myself inspired and have been enjoying your website with your workshops! Thank you very much! After completing Session 1-5 Balance and Stability I have a question. I have an 82 year old man with neuropathy. I have been working a lot with his feet with rolling and using 1/2 roller to stretch, toe movement, etc. I have a difficult time doing any foot position on the reformer except just heels. I also use the jump board for leg and footwork (not jumping obviously) figuring it is a more stable surface for him. I love the foot stretches you showed standing on the chair foot bar and have tried these in the past with him but his feet just slide off. He can't connect his feet properly. Any suggestions for this condition. Thank you so much and looking forward to continuing your course!! Best, Bonnie |
| Casey H On: June 22, 2014 10:55 AM |
Hi Bonnie, I can't tell you how happy we are that an experienced teacher is gaining so much from the refresher program. It is what was intended and it is good to see it happening . I feel that no matter how long we have been teaching we need to keep a 'beginner's mind' so that we are open to new avenues and don't stagnate. It keeps our work fresh for ourselves and our clients. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job with your 82 yr old client with neuropathy. There are three types of peripheral nerve that can be affected by neuropathy. Sensory, motor and autonomic. The autonomic nerves are mostly involuntary and symptoms can be things like heat intolerance, digestive problems and dizziness caused by changes in blood pressure. Motor nerve symptoms can be muscle weakness or paralysis. Sensory nerve symptoms could be lack of coordination, extreme sensitivity to touch or the gradual onset of numbness or tingling. With every Neuropathy client it is trail and error in the studio on what is the exact recipe and progression will be. These are some things you might try with your client: First just the shape of the Wunda pedal is great feedback and sensory work for your client so you may just want to take off all the springs and allow him to massage his feet while holding onto the handles or the seat. Having his forearms on the seat, his feet on the springless Wunda pedal, his back rounded a bit and looking towards the floor and his feet may really help him to stay anchored and able to subtly shift weight so the massage can be effective. Without the added challenge and danger of the spring tension he may be able to get into a lot more positions and therefore openings in the feet, ankles and lower legs. It also may be very beneficial to have a full length mirror so he can easily see where he and his feet are located. This awareness through the eyes and into the body can start to send messages to the brain that help to build connections in the body to wake up sensation. A simple fix may be to add the sticky shelf liner to the pedal. It will help the bottom of the feet to grip better and it may help to add a few layers of it so that the pedal is built up a bit. This may help the slippage of his feet. My last suggestion is to use some heat on the springless Wunda pedal . I use the SmartSpine Sacral Wedges for this . You can try this one foot at a time at first. Once they are comfortable with the sensation and the landscape of what is under their foot you can put both feet on the pedal with a heated wedge under each foot. I love that you use the jumpboard for footwork with your client. If it works for him also use heat here under his feet as he does his foot work. I also suggest using a half green spikey ball ( we sell the full spikey balls on the site and you can break them in half) under his foot while doing the reformer jump board footwork. You can also use the half foam roller ( make sure you are securing it well as he moves) on the jumpboard footwork. If you have them the Rotator discs that attach to the jumpboard would also be great foot and leg work for him. Please let us know how he is progressing and what roadblocks, discoveries and triumphs you have. Love Jen |
| Debra Tourek On: June 22, 2014 12:20 PM |
Hi Jen, Thanks so much for your response! Some great information! I have been using the green spiky ball the past week with all my clients as I just purchased one off your website after watching your release workshop! I would also be interested in trying the sacral wedge but we don't have a microwave at our studio. I will be trying some of your suggestions with my client. He is away right now, but this will give me some time to think of my next plan with him! I am guessing he is affected by sensory as he can't feel his feet well at all. He is extremely stiff everywhere! But that has been improving with the work we have been doing! I want it to improve even more for him so trying some of your suggestion will be a great start! I wanted to take your refresher program for a few reasons.... 1. I am always eager to learn new ways to look at our work. A refreshing cue I have not used before, a hands on cue, etc is what I love! 2. I chose the Chair/Barrel course over the other ones as I would like to use these pieces of equipment more with my clients. It is not that I don't use them, but I tend to work with the reformer/cadillac/ped-i-pul more and thought this woudld inspire me to pull them out more often. 3. Learning and hearing more about the "why" of doing exercises. I love the mentor's video. For instance in the first video the client had a foot/ankle issue when she was performing standing turnout with her Left foot. I can see that there is a problem, but what is causing that? Where is she tight? What exercise should I work on to help that issue? Is it a problem with the foot or further up the leg? Thanks again and will keep you informed on my client! Best, Bonnie |