Classical Pilates & Chiropractic: How I Found Lasting Pain Relief After a Car Accident
I’ve always wanted to teach Pilates in conjunction with a chiropractic office, and now that I’m teaching out of 5280 Spine & Sport in Denver it has me reflecting on the synchronicities that brought me here.
How a Car Accident Changed Everything
I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t been rear-ended on the 163 in San Diego back in 2017. My Prius was totaled, and I was visibly unharmed, but the invisible damage done that day changed the course of my professional career forever.
I started experiencing severe neck and upper back pain as well as tension migraines a few days later. My body was already in precarious condition. I had retired from my professional ballet career only months prior and transitioned into a typical desk job. I exercised inconsistently, so I was already feeling weak, but after the accident I struggled with everything from the weight of my purse strap on my shoulder to lugging the groceries in from the car to the house.
When Migraines Took Over
The migraines were what really put me over the edge. I quickly became accustomed to the cadence of their arrival: a nagging tension at the base of my skull on the left side paired with a strange sensation in my mouth, almost like excess salivary production. These symptoms quickly devolved into a vice-like grip on my entire skull, light sensitivity, nausea, and fatigue that kept me a bed-ridden zombie for days at a time. My quality of life was… not great.
Finding Relief Through Chiropractic Care
I decided to pursue chiropractic care. As luck would have it, I found an excellent clinic just blocks from my house (shoutout to Element Wellness Center in San Diego), which made keeping up with my care regimen easy. I was skeptically optimistic about the results and relief I was promised, but I couldn’t deny how much better I felt after an adjustment.
Over time, I became familiar with the specific adjustments that gave me the most relief. I would frequently walk in requesting an occipital lift when I felt a migraine coming on. Nine times out of ten I could avoid the migraine, which was a lifesaver. But I also started to recognize that it was not realistic to be so reliant on my chiropractors for long-term pain relief; I needed to train my body to retain the memory of the correct, adjusted positions.
Yes, Muscles DO Have Memory
Yes, muscles DO have memory. Years of ballet training, repetition upon repetition, had taught me that. The same ballet training that had spit me out with the over-straightened, hypermobile posture that was now causing me so much pain.
Up until that point, Pilates had been an unserious side quest. Towards the end of my ballet career I had started to become more regular with my practice, but that had faded when I stopped dancing. Intuitively I knew it was what I needed in order to understand how to fix my body and live pain-free, and I thought a Pilates teacher training would be the best way to achieve my goal. Easier said than done.
The Search for the Right Pilates Training
Because I had been so unserious and uneducated about Pilates up until this point, I didn’t know what to look for in a Pilates training. I tried to shop around a bit, but in the already saturated market of 2017 SoCal, I was met with some frankly rude, vague, and unencouraging answers. So when a franchise studio opened up down the street, I decided to enroll in their first teacher training cohort.
Well, 500 hours of training and about a year later, I was still pretty dependent on my chiropractors for pain relief. It was frustrating because I had gotten stronger in many ways, but the frequency and intensity of my pain and migraines had not changed much. Just when I was starting to feel a bit jaded about how much Pilates could actually help me, I found classical Pilates.
Finding Classical Pilates for Real, Lasting Pain Relief
Within three classes with this amazing new teacher, I felt a massive shift. I was finally accessing the muscles in my neck and back that so desperately needed attention. It was incredibly hard, asking more of me mentally and physically than I thought possible, but the payoff was worth it. I started to experience real, lasting pain relief.
From that point on, I committed to learning and teaching the classical Pilates method. All of the confusion and frustration I had around Pilates fell away because I had a clear blueprint for what to do. I’ve continued to witness the healing power of Pilates with my own clients and through my recent cancer treatment and recovery.
Classical Pilates and Chiropractic: Better Together at Spine & Sport in Denver
Chiropractic care on its own is incredible.
Pilates on its own is powerful.
Together they are an incredibly powerful way to claim your strength, control, mobility, and joy of movement.
It feels especially synergistic to be teaching out of a chiropractic office, now almost a decade into my Pilates career. Denver locals and visitors are welcome to join my semi-private reformer and tower Pilates classes inside 5280 Spine & Sport on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and evenings. Book your class today! If you are not local to Denver you can do Pilates with me on YouTube- make sure to subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss new workouts!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is classical Pilates?
Classical Pilates follows Joseph Pilates’ original method and order of exercises. It emphasizes precise alignment, control, and the deep connection between mind and body that creates lasting change.
Can classical Pilates help with migraines or neck pain?
For many people (myself included), yes. By strengthening the muscles that support the neck and upper back and restoring better alignment, classical Pilates can reduce the frequency and intensity of tension-related migraines and chronic neck pain—especially when paired with chiropractic care.
Where can I take classical Pilates classes in Denver?
I teach semi-private reformer and tower classes at Spine & Sport on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and evenings. Denver locals and visitors are welcome.
