Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Exercise Science, Biomechanics, Physiotherapy, and Pilates?

First let’s define each so we have a jumping off point:

Kinesiology is the study of human movement and the mechanics of the body in motion. It combines the principles from anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and psychology to understand how the body moves and how physical activity affects overall health.

Exercise Physiology is the study of how the body responds to physical activity. It focuses on the understanding the physiological processes and systems (like muscles, cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic systems) that are activated during exercise. It also looks at how exercise can improve health, enhance performance and prevent or rehabilitate injuries.

Exercise Science is a broad field that studies how physical activity affects the body, focusing on areas like physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, and psychology. It includes the study of how exercise improves health, enhances performance, and prevents or rehabilitates injuries.

Biomechanics is the study of the mechanical laws that govern movement in living organisms. It focuses on understanding how the body’s muscles, joints, bones and other structures interact during movement, including the forces applied to the body and how it responds.

Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession focused on diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating physical injuries or conditions that affect movement. (Also known as Physical Therapy) Physiotherapists use a variety of techniques - manual therapy, exercise prescription, modalities (like heat or ice), and education - to restore function, reduce pain, and improve mobility.

All of these “studies” can be classified into higher levels of education including a doctorate. But why can’t Pilates be considered as such? Well, Pilates is not considered as such because of its origin, scope and the way it is viewed within the academic and healthcare professions. While Pilates is highly respected for its benefits in FITNESS, rehabilitation and overall body awareness, there are several factors that influence why it is not a level of education including a doctoral-level discipline in the movement field.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of “Pilates” (originally called contrology) designed the method primarily as a system of exercises focused on strength, flexibility, and body control. While it has significant therapeutic benefits, it wasn’t initially developed as a clinical or academic study of human movement, which often forms the basis for doctoral programs. Kinesiology, Physiotherapy and exercise physiology, all have formal academic research foundations where as Pilates has more practical exercise techniques and lacks academic or scientific validation in its early years.

While there is increasing research supporting the benefits of Pilates (see my previous blog posts), particularly in rehabilitation and fitness, there is still a gap in rigorous, standardized scientific research and universally agreed upon methodologies in the Pilates community. Pilates education is mostly offered through certifications and training programs rather than university based academic degrees, and these programs are often practitioner-focused rather than research-based.

Pilates is an exercise method where related fields like kinesiology, biomechanics, or physiotherapy often focus on clinical applications of movement, injury prevention and treatment disorders. Pilates is a wellness practice rather than a medical dicipline even though it is therapeutic.

While Pilates is incredibly valuable in movement, fitness, rehab, and wellness in the academic field it is only seen as a method of exercise by taught by certified individuals. However, with continued research, education and integration into rehab and movement sciences Pilates may become more academically recognized in the future. It is adaptable for every BODY, all fitness levels and is customizable regardless of age, size, gender or level of fitness. Pilates integrates intelligently with rehabilitation programs especially those recovering from injury, surgeries and or are dealing with chronic pain. It can be done on a mat, on an equipment like a reformer and all 416® Movement Specialists are trained to work with any health condition and mobility challenges. The bottom line, Pilates is truly for every BODY because it offers a wide range of benefits, it is shown as an inclusive, sustainable practice that supports overall health, mobility and well-being for all.