Pilates takes its name from Joseph Pilates. A German-born emigré to
Britain and then America, he devised the Pilates method as a new
approach to exercise and body-conditioning in the early decades of the
last century. His method included the use of equipment referred to by
him as: apparatus. Perhaps the best known piece of equipment is the
Pilates reformer, which is in use in the Pilates Central studio today.
Pilates developed in the aftermath of the late 19th century physical
only limited evidence to support the use of Pilates to alleviate
problems such as lower back pain. Evidence from studies show that while
Pilates improves balance, it has not been shown to be an effective
treatment for any medical condition other than evidence that regular
Pilates sessions can help muscle conditioning in healthy adults, when
compared to doing no exercise.