How I found support at the Arm Chair during injury—and a reminder that Pilates always meets you where you are.
Arm Chair…how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.My love affair with the Arm Chair began a few years ago when I tore the labrum in my shoulder. I decided not to have surgery (thanks, 40-year-old body… apparently, we don’t heal quite like we used to) and instead dove headfirst into physical therapy, per my doctor’s
recommendation. While PT was going great, the labrum tear majorly disrupted my regular Pilates practice. So many of the movements and exercises I took for granted just weren’t available to me anymore. 100 on the Reformer? Nope. Rowing? Uh-uh. Long Stretch Series? No way. Even the arm springs on the Cadillac were off-limits. Anything that really challenged the strength and stability of my shoulder was out until I recovered.So, I began searching the studio for ways to continue practicing Pilates while recovering.
Enter: the Arm Chair.If you’re unfamiliar with the Contrology Arm Chair, it’s one of those “small but mighty” pieces in the Pilates studio. It looks unassuming—just a padded chair with a high back and a pair of light springs—but don’t let that fool you. It’s an incredible tool for building upper body awareness, improving posture, and deepening the connection between the arms, back, and center.
Honestly, I had always considered the Arm Chair something I used for very specific situations: a great place to take seniors for upper-body work and posture, a stepping stone to teach Rowing before the Reformer, and a “feel-good” option for people with tight shoulders.
It was never part of my personal practice because, in all honesty, the springs always felt too light for me. You can imagine how humbled I was when I got started doing the basics and was shaking like nobody’s business.
It turns out that those lighter springs and the support from the chair back were exactly what my body needed to keep working on movements that weren’t accessible elsewhere. It was challenging but doable, and that’s exactly what I needed.
Now, just to be clear: I was not using the Arm Chair to rehab my shoulder. My PT exercises were doing that job (very different from my Pilates exercises). I was using the Arm Chair to stay connected to my Pilates practice while my shoulder was out to lunch.
As my shoulder got stronger through PT and time, the more options I had on the Armchair. I went from barely being able to do a Hug or lift my arms overhead (God forbid I try Shaving!) to Rowing with ease and eventually challenging myself with Swakate or kneeling variations.
The physical progression was straightforward: do the work and get stronger.
But looking back, the Arm Chair supported my mental state even more than my physical one.
If you’ve ever been in pain for a long stretch of time, you know how mentally exhausting and emotionally disorienting it is. It’s hard to feel like yourself. It’s easy to feel discouraged—especially when the simplest daily tasks (like picking up groceries) become a challenge.
Add to that that I couldn’t do the thing I love—and teach—for a living, and it wasn’t great.
So, more than anything, the Armchair gave me the gift of feeling like me again. I could still do Pilates, work hard, and be part of the studio, and that felt amazing.
It also gave me a new window into what some of our members are experiencing. It reminded me how healing it is to keep moving—even when things feel disrupted.
Pilates still has so much to offer them when someone breaks a finger or sprains an ankle. The ability to move, stay connected to their body, and maintain some sense of routine is powerful for physical healing and emotional well-being.
Fast forward a few years, and I don’t even think about my shoulder anymore. Labrum tears don’t magically heal—but I’ve built the strength and confidence to move without worrying about it.
What are some of my favorite go-to exercises now? I love using Hug a Tree and Shave to build awareness and strength through the shoulder girdle. Swakate is SO good on the Arm Chair! It has so much coordination, control, and yummy movement for the shoulders. The kneeling exercises facing away from the chair might be one of the best full-body challenges in the studio. I love that they are hard but achievable.
And the Arm Chair? It’s far from collecting dust in a corner.Now, I use it with nearly every client, along with all the other small apparatus that often get overlooked. It’s a constant reminder of how much is possible within the Pilates system, even (and especially) when things feel limited.
Elisha Grow
Elisha, owner of Nephesh Pilates in Sacramento, CA, is a dedicated student of classical Pilates, trained by Karen Frischmann and continuing her studies with Sandy Shimoda. She is passionate about helping others regain their strength and vitality through an individualized Pilates practice.
