The Future of Clinical Pilates: Trends and Predictions

When you’re committing to a new learning opportunity or course, or you’ve already added a particular skill set to your toolkit, it’s only natural to want to understand what that will mean for your future?

Will the skill still be relevant, powerful, effective in the years to come? Will it still be in-demand? Will it remain the number one way to more efficiently support your patients in achieving their individual health goals? Is it a good investment, with longevity, potential, and payoff?

When it comes to clinical Pilates, we’ve established time and time again based on extensive research and evidence that it’s the best way for any health professional to offer superior services and care to your patients. Equipping you with the skills, knowledge and understanding you need to curate targeted movement patterns catering to each individual patient’s needs and abilities, and allowing you to achieve far greater results in a shorter amount of time, there’s no denying the power of clinical Pilates.

But is this sustainable? What does the future of clinical Pilates hold? Will it be replaced by another modality or practice, or will it stand the test of time and continue to evolve, expand and rise in popularity and demand as more people become aware of its impact and effectiveness?

We’ve got the answers to all these questions. If you’re considering (or you already have!) completing your APPI Clinical Pilates Certification, here are the trends and future predictions for clinical Pilates you need to know.

The rise of clinical Pilates in allied healthcare.

Clinical Pilates is becoming increasingly popular and in-demand in the world of allied healthcare. Patients are more and more aware of its low-impact, strengthening and rehabilitative benefits, and look for the application of clinical Pilates to help them achieve their health goals, such as injury prevention, stability and strength, and physical rehabilitation. 

Clinical Pilates is considered a critical element of a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to patient care - particularly in health disciplines like physiotherapy, chiropractics, occupational therapy and sports medicine.

With the growing awareness of the power and impact of clinical Pilates, it’s becoming more important than ever to offer your patients this service as part of a comprehensive treatment and care plan - and this trend is only predicted to continue long into the future. 

Integration of Technology.

The practice of clinical Pilates will gradually begin to incorporate more technology, both existing and emerging. It will continue to expand into online spaces, allowing healthcare professionals to provide support and virtual sessions for remote patients via telehealth or virtual consultations. This means clinical Pilates will be used by more patients and practitioners than ever, with this trend only furthering the education around and demand for the practice.

As wearable technology continues to rise and improve in capability, devices that can track movement, posture, muscle activation and other metrics relevant to clinical Pilates will also become much more integrated into clinical Pilates treatment. 

Advanced tools, such as real-time biofeedback (a mind-body technique using sensors to measure the body’s physiological functions and responses to allow patients to better understand their body functions and patterns, such as heart rate, breathing patterns and muscle response) will help your patients better understand their movement patterns, and enhance their muscle control and activation for better movement execution.

AI software, as it continues to advance, will also help allied healthcare professionals to assess patients’ biomechanics, helping you create more personalised, targeted and effective treatment plans for each of your individual patients.

Evidence-Based Practice.

As you already know, having adequate science and evidence to underpin any therapeutic modality or practice is crucial to any allied health professional. Moving forward, more studies will be conducted into the potential and power of clinical Pilates, only further validating its effectiveness in treating a variety of conditions like back pain and musculoskeletal problems. 

It will become a standard element of therapeutic treatment, with collaboration between disciplines like physiotherapists, chiropractors and Pilates instructors expected to further enhance the credibility of clinical Pilates movements and therapies.

Future research will focus more on the long-term outcomes of clinical Pilates, giving clinicians even greater confidence and motivation to integrate this pivotal practice into each patients’ treatment and care. With growing research and evidence, you can expect to develop more streamlined and effective treatment plans to use in assisting your patients in the future. You’ll have access to a greater range of movements, techniques and applications for clinical Pilates, allowing you to more easily and effectively use the practice to care for your patients - not just in achieving their short-term health goals, but in supporting their long-term health outcomes too.

A growing scope.

As clinical Pilates awareness and education grows, it will be used more widely to provide holistic care and treatment for various groups of patients and people. These include:

• Elderly patients, to address mobility concerns, combat musculoskeletal issues and reduced strength due to ageing, and help prevent falls and injuries.
• Pregnant/postnatal women, to provide safe, therapeutic movements and treatment to support prenatal mobility and comfort, and postnatal recovery.
• Neurological conditions, with emerging research supporting the use of clinical Pilates to manage conditions including Parkinson’s disease, MS and stroke rehabilitation.
• Patients with chronic pain and long-term conditions such as fibromyalgia or chronic back pain, to relieve discomfort and manage symptoms.

Clinical Pilates is expected to also become increasingly used in preventative healthcare. With more emphasis on clinical Pilates movements for maintaining health over the long-term, preventing injury, and improving posture and strength, the practice will be used more and more often for a wide range of patients looking to preserve a high quality of life and standard of movement and mobility.

Collaboration.

Clinical Pilates is anticipated to have a unifying component, with increased collaboration between Pilates instructors and allied health professionals leading to more effective, holistic patient care. As more multi-disciplinary clinics are established in the future due to their proven success, clinical Pilates will become a fundamental component of such clinics. These clinics combine professionals with different specialties and training to create comprehensive, holistic treatment programs for patients, with clinical Pilates being amongst the most critical and effective of these offerings.

Growth of specialised programs.

The benefits of clinical Pilates extend far beyond the physical rehabilitation and strengthening capabilities we’ve already discussed. Clinical Pilates offers a whole host of additional advantages too.

As a result, you can expect to see more condition-specific programs using clinical Pilates to target and treat particular conditions like pelvic health, core strength, incontinence or post-surgery recovery. Similarly, programs designed for athletes at all levels, focusing on improved performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation are also likely to become more commonplace and in-demand.

The emerging trend integrating clinical Pilates into the treatment of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and stress management, is also predicted to continue growing, using mindful movement and the mind-body connection to achieve superior physical and mental results for patients.

Increased demand for clinical Pilates healthcare professionals.

As a natural result of all the anticipated growth and expansion in the realm of clinical Pilates moving forward, the demand from patients and employers alike for healthcare professionals qualified and skilled in clinical Pilates is also only going to soar exponentially. As patients look more and more to non-invasive, holistic therapies and treatment plans, they will become more educated about and interested in clinical Pilates and its endless proven benefits.

Similarly, career opportunities for allied health professionals qualified in this space will expand, giving you access to greater earning potential and job possibilities, and the chance to work with more diverse groups of patients. With the healthcare industry predicted to become more competitive as time goes on, healthcare professionals who are certified in clinical Pilates by a reputable, recognised, evidence-based education provider will have a significant competitive advantage, instantly able to differentiate themselves due to their ability to provide a unique, in-demand service that enhances their professional value and patient outcomes and support simultaneously.

The future of healthcare is patient-centred, multidisciplinary, and increasingly competitive. Don’t get left behind. Clinical Pilates allows you to stay at the forefront of therapeutic innovation and patient care, giving you (and your patients) the greatest chance of success long into the future.

As you can see, clinical Pilates is predicted to continue growing exponentially far into the future. As the global recognition of the impact of clinical Pilates increases, patients and employers demand clinical Pilates as part of a holistic and effective treatment plan, and the emphasis on personalised patient-centred care continues to dominate the healthcare industry, allied health professionals who are skilled and certified in clinical Pilates will emerge as the industry leaders. More able to provide comprehensive and effective services to their patients, and with greater employment and revenue opportunities at their fingertips due to heightened demand for their expertise, clinical Pilates-qualified clinicians will be instantly differentiated in a crowded industry.

But the type of clinical Pilates qualification health professionals pursue will also matter. It’s essential to choose an evidence-based course, developed by expert healthcare professionals based on extensive research and clinical experience. Not only does this allow your learnings to be seamlessly integrated with your existing science-based practice, it also ensures you’re accessing best practice, industry-leading content and practical skills, setting you up to provide better support to your patients, and value to potential employers. Set yourself (and your patients!) up for success by completing your APPI Clinical Pilates Certification with Unite Health, to walk away with an internationally recognised, respected qualification developed by experienced physiotherapists and taught by leading industry experts. As a member of the Unite Health community, you’ll also have access to ongoing education and upskilling opportunities, and the chance to network with peers in your industry, further cementing your place as a leader of your chosen healthcare field.

Want to learn more about the APPI Clinical Pilates Certification? Visit the course page here to discover the modules, skills and knowledge you can expect to obtain throughout the program, or book a free chat with our course experts to have all your questions answered today!