Real Time Ultrasound

Pilates exercises alone may not teach the low back pain sufferer how to correctly contract the core muscles. The muscles are very deep and can only be visualized via an ultrasound scan. At our clinic, the technique of ultrasound retraining is carried out with the guidance of a qualified physiotherapist and enables the patient to learn how to contract their muscles correctly. The ultrasound image provides important visual feedback to the patient.

The scan is performed initially on a treatment couch and is progressed to sitting and then to standing. Once the patient can achieve a good contraction of the muscle, scanning is performed whilst exercising on the pilates equipment to ensure the contraction is maintained throughout the exercise.

If your low back pain has not improved with pilates, it may be due to the fact that your core stability muscles are not contracting correctly. If you are unsure as to whether you can activate your muscles correctly, a scan would be of great benefit.