232 Pilates Digest

On Keeping Moving Around the Injury

When the pain of an injury becomes an afterthought rather than a forethought


I can sound like a broken record in nearly every session. During Side-Lying Sweep, for example, I consistently cue my students to prioritize precision and control over anything larger than a 90-degree range. I encourage them to keep the heel no higher than hip height, move at a steady rhythm, and fully point and flex the foot with each sweep.

These seemingly small details create more intentional work through the low posterior working leg while also beautifully awakening the fascia along the top of the foot. The movement may appear modest, but when executed with care, it becomes far more effective than simply chasing a larger or higher range of motion.

One of my early bosses used to say, “I don’t care what you do as long as you’re doing your work.”

What he meant was simple: he expected his team to meet their most basic responsibilities. He understood that his department was made up of very different personalities, but his primary concern was whether people were consistently meeting foundational metrics within the day-to-day.

I often reflect on my former employer's focused mindset. So my friends, my mantra of late: Meet the form first. This is the priority, whether the goal is to prevent injury or support recovery from one.

A student recently asked for advice, expressing knee discomfort while performing an internally rotated movement. I focused on suggesting that they work on restoring the muscles that support the knee. I recalled a similar case study from my early anatomy training. I suggested focusing only on parallel alignment patterns for the time being while in class and building strength throughout the quadriceps (especially the VMO), as well as the glutes, all of which play an important role in knee stability and patellar tracking. Strengthening the VMO also improves hip stability, foot mechanics, and pelvic organization.

It’s true that when students speak up and communicate their injuries, they have a much greater opportunity to recover properly. Once the initial discomfort settles and movement has been cleared, Pilates can become an excellent tool for rebuilding strength and confidence. The Method allows practitioners to work around an injury because its sequencing is highly focused and isolated.

The value of this approach became especially clear with a recent 232 Pilates private client, where they expressed that a right hip impingement caused them to stop moving altogether for several months and that they felt terrible. My sequence started mindfully on the contour step barrel and then progressed to the tower for the 1st of the three-session package they signed up for. By the third session, we were in a full flow on the Tower and as she was preparing to leave my studio, we connected on how great she was finally feeling. In this moment, I was not only grateful to help this client, but even more thankful to be working in a space that allows me to give back so mindfully.

Furthermore, if you are in a group setting taking a Reformer session, footwork becomes much more than a warm-up. Performed with careful attention to alignment, footwork with the right spring tension provides an opportunity to retrain even weight distribution and controlled quadriceps activation while the carriage and springs encourage smooth, consistent movement. Arms in straps with added leg progressions strengthen the powerhouse, supporting upper body lift if you are experiencing troubling lower body biomechanics.

When practicing on the Tower or Cadillac, a safe approach is to keep both feet grounded whenever possible. Exercises such as supported bridging with a small range of motion, gentle pelvic curls, spring-assisted arm work, mat exercises using props, and selected roll-down and push-through bar movements can promote trunk stability, quadriceps activation, and proper lower-extremity alignment without placing excessive rotational demands on the body.

I’ve learned that temporarily reducing or avoiding quadruped and high-kneeling variations does not mean putting overall movement on hold. Instead, it creates an opportunity to continue moving thoughtfully while allowing the knee the time and space it needs to heal.

One of the things I appreciate most about the Method is that it allows one to shift attention instead of stopping movement altogether.

While a lower body injury settles or you wait for your surgery date, there is still an opportunity to focus on upper-body strength, spinal articulation, breathing, posture, and overall organization. All these facets of the practice can leave us feeling exceptional after a class, and the injury's pain then becomes an afterthought rather than a forethought.

When clients work around an injury, they leave feeling more connected and energized rather than frustrated by what they couldn’t do. Consider giving yourself the gift of a private Pilates session for a closer look at feeling better.

-Diana Muchmore, June 12, 2026

232 Digest is a weekly journal on movement, Pilates, and intelligent exercise written from the studio floor at 232 Pilates in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.