Why the Pilates Pedi Pole is a Must When Working with Seniors and Special Needs Clients

Written by Risa Mathews, Owner and Founder, Boditree Pilates and Healing LTD

The Pedi Pole (also spelled occasionally as the Pedipul or Ped-O-Pull) is an apparatus that we see used every hour of the day by almost every single client we service at Boditree Pilates and Healing LTD. The reason for this is its accessibility, regardless of levels of fitness, restrictions, injury, or condition, the Pedi Pole is incredibly accessible.  

Magic of the Gratz Pedi Pole

The magic of this Pilates apparatus is its ability to teach, strengthen, and transform:

1. Breath conditioning
2. Decompression of cervical spine 
3. Power of spinal strength in a vertical hemisphere – combats text neck
4. Coordinating breath with arm mobility which then activates powerhouse
5. Improving standing posture and balance through the feet
6. Strengthening pelvic floor – improving bladder weakness
7. Head, neck, and scapula strengthening and improved alignment
8. Respiratory strengthening – essential for long-Covid care and post Pneumonia recovery 
   

The Pedi Pole: An Apparatus for Progress and Control

The Pedi Pole meets you where you’re at and makes you better with each repetition. It’s helpful especially for demonstrating before and after results of the work and is a great alternative when the participant is unable to experience Pilates Reformer exercises with control or efficiency.

The absence of Reformer Wheels and Leather Reformer Straps offers the user a direct connection to the springs, whilst eliminating the need for sophisticated connections to the apparatus.  The ability for the client to work standing, with feedback from the flexible back bar, provides even more support to the person using it, especially those new to the system of Pilates.

The magic of the Gratz springs and specific dimensions to the Pedi Pole makes it even more powerful to the user.  

Why the Pedi Pole Builds Lasting Confidence

Risa Mathews and client working on the decompression of the cervical spine while using the Pedi Pole.

As Classical Pilates educators we often focus on the full repertoire, and mastery of the fancy exercises, always trying to look good whilst performing them.  However, this isn’t the power of the Pedi Pole, it’s hardly sexy, but it will bring your clients back for more, and open up the possibility of experiencing more apparatus, because of the confidence it 
instills in the user.

As such the Pedi Pole is a glue that holds the Classical Pilates system together, providing the elderly participant an opportunity to witness their improvement and confidence with each use of the device.  

About Risa Mathews

Risa Mathews is the founder of Boditree Pilates & Healing in Vancouver, where she has been teaching and innovating since 1999. With a background in dance, education, and movement therapy, Risa blends classical Pilates with complementary healing modalities to help clients manage pain, recover from injury, and build long-term strength and resilience.

Her research and teaching have led to the creation of Boditree Releasework™, a pre-Pilates approach designed to support individuals with conditions such as scoliosis, Parkinson’s, MS, post-surgical rehabilitation, and more. These protocols, now available through online workshops and international presentations, give instructors and therapists worldwide access to her methods. Risa has presented Pilates workshops in locations including Hawaii, New York, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, sharing her unique vision of the authentic Pilates method with teachers around the globe.

Holding degrees from Simon Fraser University (BA) and Macquarie University in Sydney (MA), Risa has shared her expertise globally—from Honolulu to New York—and has been featured on Darien Gold’s All Things Pilates radio program. With over two decades of teaching, publishing, and public speaking, she continues to expand the reach of her work, providing resources for both practitioners and the Pilates community at large.