Scoliosis and Back Pain: How Pilates Made the Difference

My name is Garrison, I’m thirty years old and I live in San Jose, California. And before I started working with Sonia at Body Evolutions I was experiencing a lot of back pain and discomfort from my scoliosis and I really noticed it when I was waking up in the mornings and when I was driving for a lot of hours during my daily commute to and from work.

 
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I originally heard about Sonia from my mom who is the smartest lady I know. and I wanted to go somewhere that came highly recommended.

I wanted to work with a professional studio because I felt like my problem was something that I needed to seriously get professional help with and I wasn’t getting the help I needed from doctors at traditional health care places so I wanted to do something that I knew was going to be good for me for the long term and was something that I could do for the rest of my life.

My biggest concern before working with Body Evolutions was being able to see the kind of progress I wanted to see in a short amount of time, and I definitely see the results.

My first impression of the studio here was that it’s a very neat and organized place with everything you could hope for from a professional studio.

I remember my first session for being so far out of alignment from where I am now and I can’t believe how quickly much my progress has progressed.

I’ve tried other services such as yoga, and traditional personal training at the gyms and they didn’t offer the attention to the specific needs I felt I needed to correct my type of scoliosis and other back issues, hip and leg issues and the Pilates here has definitely addressed those specifically and have helped me address them appropriately.

My favorite exercise is the short spine on the reformer because it stretches every part of your back.

My most challenging exercise is the hundreds on the reformer.

What surprised me the most about my practice with Pilates is how quickly you start seeing results and how good you feel the minute you walk out the door.

My top goals when I first started here was to work on my scoliosis alignment and to learn different techniques I can do for the rest of my life to make sure that I keep myself in good shape.

 
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The top three benefits I’ve seen from joining this Pilates studio is the no the longer feeling discomfort from my back or joints when I get out of bed in the morning or when I am walking now I feel like I’m walking with better posture and my hips are freer, and when I’m sitting at my desk for a period of time at work I feel like I have better posture to sit in a more comfortable position for the day.

When I’m not at the studio I enjoy riding my bike, and golfing, and hiking in the hills and all of those activities require having a healthy back which has definitely been greatly improved since I started working here.

I feel like my outlook on what I’m able to do with my scoliosis and how I can further correct it for the rest of my life is looking much more positive.

What’s made me the happiest about working in the studio is how hard it is the work but how good you feel right after you’re done. You don’t have any discomfort after the hard work out sessions.

My tips for starting at Body Evolutions would be to start right away. Don’t wait. It’s worth it.

~ Garrison R.


I first met Garrison about fourteen years ago when he was still a teenager in high school. His mom knew one of our teachers and brought him to the studio to take some Pilates lessons because he loved golfing but was having issues due to his scoliosis.

We only saw Garrison a few times after he graduated from from high school and went on to college. Then this past March 2019 Garrison was back at the studio because his scoliosis was causing him pain once more. Now an adult Garrison works long hours sitting at a desk, which isn’t good for people with healthy spines, much less for someone with scoliosis.

When we first started working together Garrison had an S-curve that created significant shoulder asymmetry, a rib hump, rotated hips, and lots of pain. Just imagine what a 30 degree curve in your spine might feel like. This is what Garrison has been dealing with most of his life. We’ve only been working a few months but we’ve already made significant progress, alleviating the majority of the stress and pain he’s been suffering from the scoliosis.

Garrison it is a pleasure working with you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the beautiful testimonial.

~ Sonia Lopez

Sonia Lopez

Sonia Lopez is a Pilates and GYROTONIC® teacher, and one of the co-founders of Body Evolutions with over 20+ years experience helping hundreds of men and women achieve a better quality of life. Her passion for teaching and sharing how to regain a youthful vibe with Pilates and GYROTONIC® is now flowing into writing and sharing how these systems benefit people of all ages in feeling their best.