To Prop or Not to Prop
I was recently discussing the use of props and assistive aids in movement practices, specifically in the Pilates practice. Props can be used to help a client find a connection in the body, to change an exercise, to add variation, to add support, or to assist with comfort around an injury or pathology. The problem I've noticed is that often teachers will get into the habit of using many different props to make exercises different in some way, and then become what I call "proppy". We can get too proppy when we rely on these items to create a deeper connection for clients instead of teaching them, but when used with purpose they can be a great tool.
Props are any small device that we use along with our Pilates exercises. These can be various bands, balls, hand weights, magic circles, foam rollers, etc. Assistive aids such as pillows or blocks to use for head lifts or back support are extremely beneficial for the client that needs them. Any of these items are tools that can add to our teaching and change and improve a client's experience, but we want to make sure each item is used with purpose, choosing a prop for a specific reason. When used without clear intention these items can become a crutch, hindering a client's practice by forcing them to rely on the use of the prop instead of learning to work through the body. Props are tools to be used for a client to find new connections and sensations, but it's all about graduating and eventually not needing them, not relying on them in order to do Pilates.
The props we use as Pilates teachers should enhance Pilates work. This should be a moment for the client to build an understanding of what needs to happen for their body to develop movement knowledge. We need to find the right prop for the right reasons for a specific client. Using props should have a purpose for the exercise, and that purpose depends on the individual. It's important to not let the use of a prop become a thoughtless moment, mindlessly squeezing the added circle or ball, but rather building new connections and understanding in an exercise or movement, asking the client to focus on something particular or share why we're choosing to add the prop.
A few reasons we might find using a prop useful for a client:
1. The client needs to find stability in a specific area when moving through the exercises and the prop can help find dynamic stability or stability within the movement
2. The client has an injury or pathology that has affected their movement or available ROM and a prop can help them engage and connect where they are lacking sensation or awareness
3. Helping the client find more balance in the body or symmetry in the work with full-body connectivity
4. Building proprioception to find where the body is in space and find grounding through the movement
5. To activate specific muscles that are not readily able to activate on their own as they should
Props can make something harder, asking the client to maintain stability around the prop, increasing coordination and overall movement to focus, and many other ideas as well. It becomes a hindrance when we get stuck in the continued use of a prop, or when using so many different props in one session simply to keep clients occupied. It can be fun to add variations in our practice to change things up, so we can use a prop to change the focus of an exercise. However, when teachers depend on props continuously we are hindering the client's ability to work through the exercises by connecting through their own body. If a client is taught that they can't do a certain exercise without head support or a ball, they will mistakenly believe that they are in danger if they attempt the movement without that support. If we always give a client the same prop they may come to rely on it and think they have to use it in order to do Pilates. Some people can then develop a fear of working without the prop, like kinesiophobia, or simply they may never understand how to create that connection for themselves in their practice without the aid of a prop.
It can be quite useful to use an external aid to help a client find a specific connection, but then the prop should be slowly eliminated over more sessions while teaching the body to find that same connection without it. At the same time, it's a different situation when someone needs an assistive aid to accommodate injury or discomfort. For neuro clients (MS, Parkinson's, post-stroke) tactile assistance from props is extremely beneficial and the aid of a prop may be necessary in order to accomplish certain exercises. For these clients, it may be important to maintain the use of the prop as needed throughout their practice. Similarly, we can always continue to use small head lifts or towel rolls for clients who get chronic positional vertigo or larger head lifts for clients with severe kyphosis or forward rounding shoulders when they can't lay the head flat on the mat, or as needed when someone has certain chronic neck issues. Sometimes these aids can be eliminated in time, but it's not necessary to force a client to remove a prop if it is benefitting them.
However, are we using a prop that is benefitting them or are we using it to keep a client from getting bored, to give them a harder variation, or make the exercises slightly different? Are we simply trying to make something more "interesting" or change it up? Or are we using it for a specific reason to assist a goal, and to deepen or increase connections? Props can make something harder, asking the client to maintain stability around the prop, increasing coordination and overall movement to focus, and many other ideas as well. It becomes a hindrance when we get stuck in the continued use of a prop, or when using so many different props in one session simply to keep clients occupied. The prop can make the client feel the connection that may have been missing before. The client can then find the connection they couldn't previously, so when the prop is later taken away they can still create the length and connection for themselves, thus strengthening their physical practice and understanding of how to move through full body connectivity in the exercises and increase the embodied knowledge of their practice.
A good example is a client I have with knee pain from OA. Her body is naturally very knock-kneed (knee Valgus), and we've decided it would be a good idea to reduce her tendency to collapse into the severity of the angle by building up outer hip (abductor/glute) strength and proprioception of leg placement. We've been using a band around the knees in order to give her tactile feedback to find her body's parallel to build this awareness. We have used the band for footwork in parallel heels on the reformer, and for bridges. After many sessions, once she was able to find that connection by using the band for those exercises we removed the band, but I've continued to ask her to imagine it's still there at the knees, to focus on what that sensation was. It's a good reminder in order to be able to find that necessary placement on her own without relying on the band forever. That then translates to other exercises she does, as well as outside the studio when she's walking around during the day or while going upstairs. We've now built in that embodied reminder for her to think about knee placement throughout any exercises and throughout the day. By using props to build her awareness of knee placement she is now able to feel more confident in proper placement, and how to self-adjust instead of relying on a prop or a teacher.
Using the prop to find the specified placement initially and subsequently learning how to find that placement without the prop is vital because clients are not walking around with a band at the knees all day. If we rely on the band in sessions and never graduate away from it, the client wouldn’t be able to find that connection on her own outside of the studio. Occasionally, we may again use the band, adding in stronger resistance to add variety to the work for muscle confusion and increased load for the purpose of increasing tissue tolerance, but once the client knows where to focus and how to connect to the muscle group, she can maintain stronger connections and proper positioning in any movement. It’s all about finding the right variation that brings better balance to the client's system. The variation that feels better can also give greater insight into what their specific body needs.
When we choose to use a prop remember:
1. Specify the Range of movement to use with it (ex. Don't pulse the ball, squeeze slooooowly)
2. Give the client the boundaries to work up to along with the prop (Only go out where you can maintain x and y)
3. The placement of a prop on the body makes a huge difference to what muscle is activating more (band or ball at the knees vs ankles)
4. We can add a prop to an exercise done many times in order to increase a connection or change the sensation or focus of the exercise
5. Choose a prop that makes sense for the specific client
Overall, when choosing to use an extra prop along with our Pilates sessions, we should consider what we're trying to accomplish. It's great to use a prop to make something fun or different, exploring new sensations and new connections, seeing how the addition of something finds different connections and adds variety. But when we use a prop to keep someone from becoming bored the prop might be masking a deeper problem, or if we always use it for a certain exercise it may become a crutch that the client relies on or then become fearful of trying it without the added prop, or that the teacher relies on instead of teaching the full exercise. Is the prop a crutch, or are we helping clients find the connection that they can then graduate out of? Is the prop helping or hindering the practice?
The goal is to find the best prop for a specific reason for the client and then graduate them out of it. Props are tools for us to use to assist a client's specific connection, but we're not relying on them. We can find what is or isn't working, building the proprioception with the prop. If the client initially has no foundation of what we're asking for, the prop can help the client in finding what is needed or missing. Props are specific to why we're using them and to what the purpose is, adding variations to exercises with specific placement and specific prop choice. A prop can be an effective tool if used the right way, giving a focus, and deepening the client's understanding. The tactile feedback a prop gives, just like the springs on a reformer, can also be super helpful for neuro clients who do need the continued tactile feedback in order to make the body move a certain way. The prop can help the client notice specific sensations, find full-body connectivity, and find the muscle that they couldn't before. Then, we do the exercise without the prop and find that same sensation and maintain the connection.
Make the choice to use something in order to add to a session, not only to seem creative or keep someone entertained, but to use it with a purpose, and graduate out of props when possible so the client doesn't become dependent on any one item.
Be proppy with purpose!
Associated Podcast: Be Proppy with Purpose