Meghan Pifko is our Pilates instructor who recently completed the Pink Ribbon Instructor Training Program offered by Doreen Puglisi, M.S. The course offered valuable information regarding the diagnosis, treatment, recovery, proper exercise guidelines, and protocols pertinent to women dealing with breast cancer.

The Pink Ribbon Program offers strength, self-esteem, and quality of life to breast cancer survivors. While exercise may be the last thing a patient feels like doing after breast cancer surgery, recent studies indicate a link between moderate physical exercise and improved quality of life for breast cancer survivors. The Pink Ribbon Program will help stretch and strengthen the shoulder, chest, back, and abdominal muscles, allowing women to regain full range of motion to those areas affected by breast cancer surgery. This program is suitable whether the patient’s surgery was recent or several years ago and accommodates all fitness levels. Meghan is excited to share the Pink Ribbon Program with breast cancer survivors.

Lisa has earned this certification through her expertise and knowledge in the areas of:

- Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions (Pain & Incontinence)

- Breast Cancer related conditions

- Pre & Post Partum conditions

- Osteoporosis

“Postnatal depression (PND) is a major health issue affecting up to 13% of all new mothers throughout the world, with most cases beginning in the first 3 months of the postnatal period.

A physical therapy exercise and health education program is effective in improving postnatal well-being and reducing the risk for postnatal depression (PND), according to a randomized controlled trial published in the March issue of Physical Therapy, (PTJ) the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).”

For more information: http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Media&CONTENTID=70366&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

“Physical therapists can play an integral role in the rehabilitation of men following prostate cancer by implementing techniques aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor and trunk musculature while incorporating cardiovascular training to restore overall fitness and maximize the body’s own resources to battle the effects of cancer treatment,” says Lisa Johnson.  “Trained in the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal dysfunctions, a physical therapist can identify imbalances of the pelvic floor muscles through manual and biofeedback-assisted assessment.  These muscles can then be strengthened and retrained to restore urinary voiding control. Once a patient is able to perform PFM exercises correctly, these contractions can be incorporated into functional activities throughout the day.”

Studies suggest that pelvic floor muscles may contract more efficiently with a coordinated contraction of the lower abdominal muscles, which provide support to the anterior aspect of the pelvic girdle.

“Patients can be progressed through a lower abdominal strengthening series, with coordinated PFM contractions,” Johnson says. “To maintain normal pelvic floor function, patients should be educated in these strengthening techniques, along with body mechanics, lifting techniques, and behavioral modifications to optimize pelvic girdle health.”

Patients experiencing generalized weakness and fatigue should start with a fitness program geared toward exercising in a deconditioned state, Johnson observes.

“Therapists can monitor the patient’s current physical status throughout treatment by reviewing the results of lab work to safely prescribe exercise intensity and duration without overtaxing the system,” she says. “They should also design an exercise program suited to a patient’s physical needs, lifestyle, and prior activity level.”

For more information: http://news.todayinpt.com/article/20090928/TODAYINPT0301/90927001

“Many interventions for the management of low back pain exist, however most have modest efficacy at best, and there are few with clearly demonstrated benefits once pain becomes chronic. Therapeutic exercise, on the other hand, does appear to have significant benefits for managing patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in terms of decreasing pain and improving function.

Yoga and Pilates which have, both been gaining in popularity over the last decade are two mind–body exercise interventions that address both the physical and mental aspects of pain with core strengthening, flexibility, and relaxation. There has been a slow evolution of these nontraditional exercise regimens into treatment paradigms for LBP, although few studies examining their effects have been published. The following article will focus on the scientific and theoretical basis of using yoga and Pilates in the management of CLBP.”

For more information: http://www.springerlink.com/content/v1n7636174w47081

Health Policy Analyst, SWHR
January 2010

The article discusses past and ongoing research of Hormone Therapy and the important implications for specialized treatment due to the variability of the condition.

“The science of hormone therapy is complex.  It is essential to carefully assess each new study to see what can be learned and what specifically it adds to the pool of information surrounding HRT [Hormone Replacement Therapy].  Patients and practitioners must be cautious to not over reach when trying to apply in real life what research data from a controlled study may show.  A number of studies are on going, looking at estrogen’s long term protective benefits and also potential risks.


As medicines transition to be more personalized, it will require individual patients, practitioners and the general public to outgrow the desire for sweeping guidelines and one size fits all recommendations.  Instead, health care in this decade and for decades to come will demand a focus that narrows, all the way to the level of an individual patient, then further yet—down to the DNA, genes, and gender that make each person who they are.”

For more information: http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/News2?news_iv_ctrl=-1&abbr=hs_&page=NewsArticle&id=9417

“Many survivors say that having been through a life-changing experience like cancer has made them feel like a different person. Lisa is working hard to ensure that the person that emerges after participating in her program feels physically fit and emotionally ready to get back to their new normal.”

For more information: http://www.longislandpress.com/2009/10/07/lisa-mancini-johnson/

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Pilates is a method of exercise brought to the United States by the European fitness guru, Joseph H. Pilates in 1926. His revolutionary style of fitness, is a union of yoga, stretching, and calisthenics to increase strength and flexibility without adding bulk. The Pilates method offers a philosophy of training the body and mind to achieve uniform precision and control of one’s body in the most efficient and healthy ways possible. These techniques emphasize linking movements together in a graceful and flowing way, requiring continual focus and control of the whole body. Pilates based exercises work to improve strength, flexibility, posture, balance, coordination, breathing control, alignment and endurance. The Pilates method consists of a series of mat exercises and apparatus intended to develop a balance between strength and flexibility, thereby improving proper execution of movement without undue stresses to the body.

As with all forms of exercise, it is important to perform these techniques with proper form and muscle recruitment. Studios devoted to the instruction of the Pilates method offer individual sessions incorporating use of the various apparatus and mat work while stressing the basic principles of controlled movement. It is recommended to start with individual instruction to achieve the proper form. Once trained in the basic principles of the Pilates method, Pilates group classes can be sought in fitness studios, gyms and home videos. At our facility we offer Pilates exercises as an adjunct to manual physical therapy techniques during rehabilitation, as well as individual and group instruction for wellness and fitness enthusiasts.