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Step into Summer: How Clinical Pilates Can Help You Hit the Trails Stronger

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With the days getting warmer and summer adventures calling, many of us are itching to lace up our boots and hit the trails. Hiking is a fantastic way to enjoy nature, build cardiovascular fitness, and reset mentally. But before you dive into steep climbs and uneven terrain, it’s important to make sure your body is ready for the challenge, especially if you’ve been dealing with stiffness, aches, or old injuries. If you’re feeling a little out of step after a busy spring, you’re not alone.

Whether you’re easing into day hikes or training for a multi-day trek, working with a physiotherapist trained in Clinical Pilates can help you move more efficiently, manage lingering discomfort, and reduce your risk of injury. Most importantly, it can help you feel stronger and more confident on the trails.

Why Prepare Your Body For Hiking?

Hiking challenges more than just your lungs. Long climbs, rocky terrain, descents, and carrying a pack can put stress on your knees, hips, ankles, and back. Many hikers experience lower back discomfort, or fatigue in the stabilizing muscles that support posture and movement. Taking the time to prepare your body before you ramp up mileage or elevation can help prevent common injuries like knee pain and ankle sprains. It also means you’ll move more confidently and enjoy your hikes without nagging discomfort.

How Clinical Pilates Can Help You Move Better on the Trails

Every hiker has a unique body and movement history, which means their needs and challenges on the trail are equally unique. Whether you’re recovering from an injury or feeling stiff after months at a desk, a tailored approach is key. Clinical Pilates offers a personalized way to address your specific biomechanics and goals.

Working with a physiotherapist trained in Clinical Pilates means you’re receiving guidance based on thorough assessment and clinical reasoning. Physiotherapists are trained to identify joint restrictions, movement inefficiencies, and muscle imbalances that could limit performance or lead to injury. With this understanding, they will design a program focused on improving strength, mobility, and control where you need it most.

Some key areas that Clinical Pilates might target include:

  • Strengthening your hips, knees and ankles to tackle hills and uneven terrain
  • Enhancing core control for hiking endurance
  • Improving balance and proprioception to reduce the risk of slips and falls
  • Restoring mobility and movement efficiency to help you stay light on your feet
  • Addressing old injuries that still affect loading patterns, confidence, or stability

The goal is to help you move with greater ease and control, focusing on the areas that will support you most on the trail, so that you can hike longer, stronger, and with more confidence!

Get Trail-Ready This Summer!

Whether you’re managing old injuries or simply want to feel stronger and more stable, now is the perfect time to get your body trail-ready. Clinical Pilates can help you hike longer, with less discomfort and more ease. By focusing on your body’s unique needs, you’ll be better prepared to enjoy everything the season has to offer – one step at a time.

Written By: Alexia Lee

Understanding the Pelvic Floor: Why You Should Care About Your Pelvic Health

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First off, what is your pelvic floor?

 

The pelvic floor is made up of two layers of muscles at the base of your pelvis. These muscles attach to your pubic bone in the front, the tailbone in the back, and the sitz bones on the sides. Imagine a hammock that supports all the organs in your pelvis. In a well-functioning pelvic floor, these muscles contract and relax in a coordinated way to allow for normal bodily functions. For example, they relax when we go to the bathroom and contract when we cough or sneeze.

Source: https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/muscles-of-the-pelvic-floor

 

What happens when the pelvic floor isn’t functioning properly?

Sometimes, the muscles of our pelvic floor lose the ability to contract strongly, relax fully, or contract and relax in a coordinated way leading to pelvic floor dysfunction. Like any muscle in the body, we want both mobility and strength in our pelvic floor muscles. 

Pelvic floor dysfunction might look like:

  • bladder or bowel leaks
  • peeing often (frequency) 
  • having a strong or uncontrollable urge to pee (urgency)
  • constipation
  • pain with penetration (speculum, tampon, or penetrative intercourse)
  • sexual dysfunction 
  • pelvic, tailbone, or low back pain

There can be many causes for pelvic floor issues including:

  • pelvic or abdominal surgeries
  • pregnancy and childbirth 
  • chronic coughing
  • chronic constipation 
  • menopause or other hormonal changes
  • posture
  • lifestyle choices and toileting habits 
  • genetics and certain medical conditions

How can a physiotherapist help?

Some physiotherapists have special training in assessing and treating conditions that affect the pelvic floor. In a pelvic health assessment, a physiotherapist will perform a detailed evaluation and identify what factors are relevant to you and your symptoms. They will then develop an individualized treatment plan with you to help address your concerns and achieve your goals. Kegels aren’t the answer to everyone’s problem! Sometimes the answer lies outside of the pelvis and a physiotherapist can help to identify what is most relevant to your case.

Our pelvic health physiotherapists are trained to help with pelvic floor dysfunction, so book an appointment to discuss any concerns relating to your pelvic floor!

Written by: Natalie Constantin

How to Avoid the ‘Bluebird Blues’: Spring Skiing Injury Prevention

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Every now and then the stars align and British Columbians are blessed with a late season dump of snow which allows us to enjoy Spring skiing. Is there anything better than bluebird day with fresh tracks to be made? However, caution must be taken as spring conditions pose their own risks. The warmer and longer days of Spring skiing can lead to an increased risk of injury due to many factors described below.

1. Changing Snow Conditions
One of the biggest challenges with spring skiing is the unpredictable nature of the snow, especially here in British Columbia. The snow quality can change dramatically throughout the day, from icy and firm in the early morning to slushy and soft by the afternoon.

An icy and crusty surface can lead to a variety of musculoskeletal injuries, especially when skiers try to maintain high speeds or tackle challenging terrain in these conditions. The risk of falls increase, and your knees, shoulders, and wrists often bear the brunt of the force. By afternoon the snow is often soft and moist, leading to excess demand on your muscles, especially the quadriceps (anyone who has gone from mid station to Creekside in April can relate).

Typically, spring skiing means a change in snow condition multiple times on the same day, or even a change in the condition on the same run i.e. Skiing from the top of the mountain down to the village. Hard packed and icy conditions transitioning into sticky, slushy conditions sometimes happen quickly and without much notice resulting in sudden twists, crashes and subsequent bodily sprain and/or strain.

If you are skiing in the backcountry, be mindful of the potential for avalanches. The large variability in temperatures paired with melting snow and weak layers of snowpack are a recipe for disaster. As snow conditions can vary quickly, always check the avalanche forecast and carry the necessary safety equipment.

2. Equipment selection and maintenance
As the end of the season approaches it is easy to forget about equipment maintenance. Make sure your skis/board are waxed and tuned properly to handle different snow conditions.

Standard ski waxes for spring are warm weather specific, like a yellow colour wax for your board or ski bases to ensure bases are hydrophobic and are better able to glide over soft, wet snow. True alpine traditionalists often opt for black/molybdenum wax which provides an additive to repel dirt, reduce static friction and improve glide. Be sure to wax your bases at least every other day on the slopes for best results.

Spring skiing means a higher likelihood of brighter days. Ensure the proper lens selection for your goggles to avoid excessive glare. Typical suggestions are goggles or glasses with a lower Visible Light Transmission (VLT) less than 25% and typically Platinum, Black or Red lenses are best when the sun is blazing down on those bluebird days.

3. Exposed Rocks and Hazards
Spring conditions bring warm weather and with it melting snow. Areas once covered with fluffy snow, now expose jagged rocks and exposed tree stumps. Be mindful of off-piste terrain early in the morning, as it is likely to be challenging with an overnight freeze thaw, with ice moguls, ice chunks, making steep descents with exposed rock a few notches more difficult and unpleasant.

Injury Prevention and the role of Physiotherapy
More daylight hours paired with warmer temperatures can lead to long days on the mountain. As your body fatigues, so does your form. This increases the likelihood of muscle strains and ligament sprains. It is important to listen to your body and recognize signs of muscular fatigue. These include, but are not limited to, weakness, soreness, and muscle cramping.

Stay hydrated and make sure you have an adequate warm up and stretch (dynamic stretching preferred) before heading out. This is especially important after your mid-day lunch break when the muscles have had a chance to cool down and become stiff.

At the end of the day if you are nervous about the long ski out, there is no shame in enjoying the view while downloading via the gondola!

Physiotherapy can help address muscle imbalance as we continue to ski/ride late into the spring as conditions allow. If you feel discomfort or pain it is advisable to address it right away. After a day on the slopes, post care is paramount. Stretching and tissue release (eg. foam rolling or massage stick are great ways to maintain flexibility and hasten recovery).

In the off season, strengthening exercises are highly recommended to get ready for the following season. A strength program should consist of squats, wall sits, Romanian Deadlifts, and various progressive core loading exercises tailored to your specific needs. Check out the video below for examples of these exercises.

Written by: Jonathan Tom-Yew

Calling all dancers: 5 Clinical pilates exercises to help prevent injuries

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Skiers Happy Feet: 5 exercises to keep your feet active and strong during the ski season!

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Skiers Happy Feet: 5 exercises to keep your feet active and strong during the ski season!

 

We are well into this year’s ski season! Many of us wait excitedly for November to April in anticipation of getting out on the slopes. But, after a long day of skiing or snowboarding, your feet and calves may feel the burn.  

Exercises targeting below the knee are often neglected when warming up and cooling down from activity, especially the feet. Our ankle and foot muscles are much smaller than our legs, BUT the job they do is important for carving, jumping and doing our best pizza (snow plowing). 

Below are a few simple exercises with no equipment you can do at home to help strengthen your ankles and feet. 

NOTE:

I would be remiss not to mention the tight-fitting and rigid boots required for skiing! Getting your boots properly fitted is essential, and have your boots checked at a ski/snowboard store. 

 If your boots still aren’t quite right, here are a few tips to increase comfort:  

  • Add a supportive or cushioned insole. 
  • Invest in ski socks. These are thin yet warm and padded at the shin and toes to protect you from boot pressure points. 
  • Ask your ski/snowboard store about punching out your boots. A good boot tech can help with hot spots where the shell of the boot rubs against your foot. This is accomplished by heating up the boot’s plastic and stretching it out in that area. This is especially helpful for individuals with a Tailor’s bunion (6th toe), wide forefoot, ankle pressure, navicular pressure, and heel spurs.

Exercises: 

Toe raises 

Big toe only – Stand with your feet flat on the floor. Lift only your big toe, then slowly lower. Try to keep your other toes relaxed. 

Tip: If you notice your big toe drifting towards your other toes, loop an elastic band around both your big toes to keep them pointing straight. This is especially helpful for individuals with Hallux Valgus (like me!) 

Everything but the big toe – Stand flat on the floor. Lift all of your toes up except the big toe, then lower. 

Arch raises

Stand with your feet flat on the floor. Lift the arch of your foot up towards the ceiling, keeping your toes touching the floor, then lower. 

Tip: Your longitudinal arch runs from your heel to your toes along the foot’s inner border. Picture a string at the top of the arch. Pull the string up towards the ceiling to lift the arch higher.

Rockers

Standing with your feet flat on the floor. Alternate between rising up on the balls of your feet (plantar flexion) and pulling up the front of your foot (dorsiflexion). 

Tip: To make this exercise more functional, stand in a squat stance with bent knees, similar to your posture when skiing or snowboarding.  

Straight Knee Version

 

Bent Knee Version

Calf stretch 

Stand in tandem (i.e. one foot forward, one foot back). Bend the front knee and keep your back leg straight. You should feel a stretch in your calf at the back of the straight leg. 

Tip: Bend both knees to stretch your deeper calf muscles. 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the slopes! Consult your physiotherapist if you experience pain or want to work on conditioning for the ski and snowboard season. 

Written by: Allison Evers