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The power of Pilates

Contributed by: Meghan Stinton on 8/28/2007

After experiencing an almost fatal car accident, being in a coma for three months, and trying every rehab program possible, Brianna Troxler entered Power Plus in her wheelchair expecting more usual rehab. What she found was an experience of a life time which in turn saved hers, Pilates.

Fifteen-year-old Troxler suffered substantial brain damage from her accident and lost all movement in the left side of her body. Months were spent at Denver's Children's Hospital in rehab and various other physical therapy activities. Doctors suggested Troxler be given an electric wheelchair, being that the right side of her body was well enough to operate it.

Being motivated and positive, Troxler explored other avenues. It was during her search that she found Power Plus in Denver, and became enthralled in the art of Pilates.

"Pilates meets people where they are in terms of fitness level and allows people to become aware of their bodies" said owner Sabra Blacklock. "In Brianna's case, we started with reaching for objects and putting a hand out to catch her when she fell."

For uninjured people, there is generally no need to "think" before moving and reacting during simple, everyday activities. However, when the movement portion of the brain is damaged, even the simplest of movements become a process.

Pilates is the study and practice of movement. This definition is often misused and misunderstood, for there is much more to be taken from Pilates than simply going through motions. According to the owners of Power Plus, who are certified Senior Instructors with more than 50,000 combined teaching hours, Pilates is "as much of an education as it is a workout. It brings awareness and understanding of how each person's body is working versus how it should be working," they said.

Troxler amazed her doctors with every routine check-up she had. Today, years after her accident, Pilates is the only rehab program she continues with. She no longer needs her wheelchair, as she has regained nearly all the movement she had before the accident. Pilates retrained Troxler's brain to send messages to the left side of her body to allow it to move.

"Pilates was amazing for Brianna," said Barbie McLelland, mother of Troxler. "You can't cheat with the exercises by using only the stronger side of your body; you have to use both sides of the body independently, exactly what her body needed."

Even though Troxler was a rare case, Pilates can dramatically enhance daily activities for anyone. Pilates has no standards of where a person's fitness level should be. It has enriched common activities from an improved golf swing, to simply not having back pain when picking up a child.

Power Plus is committed to providing clients the benefits of long-term fitness. Specializing in the Ron Fletcher Method, the focus is on building core strength and stability. The basic principles of Pilates are to improve alignment and breathing, as well as increasing the efficiency of movement through heightened body awareness. The program builds: core strength, flexibility, range of motion, an increase in mobility. Pilates not only helps those healing from injury, but those who wish to prevent injury. For more information about Power Plus visit www.powerplusdenver.com.






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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Meghan Stinton

Littleton , CO

Meghan Stinton has posted 233 stories and 0 comments since joining on 6/26/2007. Meghan Stinton 's average story rating is 4.69.
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