We had been looking forward to the South West Region's 3-day course, when the national lockdown scuppered these plans. When instead we were offered the opportunity to participate in a LIVE STREAMED version of the course we decided, with some trepidation, to give it a go!
The 2-day Matwork Level I Course is a prerequisite for anyone wishing to attend a Kids & Teens Workshop. The course covered the history of pilates, the five key elements of movement and included a variety of treatment ideas and progression exercises. The course is adult focused, but would be relevant for paediatric physiotherapists treating teenagers with MSK conditions, as well as providing the theoretical and practical foundation knowledge and skills necessary for therapists wishing to attend the Kids & Teens Workshop.
The 1-day Kids & Teens Workshop focuses specifically on treatment techniques for primary and secondary school aged children that could be applied to both MSK and neurological conditions with minor adaptations. Red flags and safeguarding were also touched upon which we felt were particularly important to consider when using pilates with children and young people. We were taught exercises for developing balance, strength, core awareness, coordination, and control.
The trainers were very enthusiastic with a wealth of knowledge and physiotherapy experience, which they drew upon to make the course relevant and applicable to practice. Virtual breakout rooms were used to facilitate case study presentations and group discussions. The practical sessions were of course our favourite part of the training ... trying out basic and advanced exercises and learning verbal prompts to encourage imagery of how to perform the exercises effectively.
Both courses packed in a lot of content and had a great balance of theory and practical. Our online learning experience exceeded our expectations and an un-anticipated bonus was sharing learning and practice with therapists from across the UK and beyond, which led to some interesting and lively discussions.
We came away from both courses a bit achy from our own physical workouts, but are looking forward to using our news knowledge and skills with the children and young people on our caseloads.
Children’s Therapy Team
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust