Clinical Pilates for scoliosis at Jurong East
Pilates for Scoliosis in Singapore: One to One, Set to Your Curve
Written by Jasmine Ang, Principal Hand Occupational Therapist and certified Reformer Pilates instructor, AHPC A1900217H.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H.Last reviewed 2 November 2026.
The X-ray gave you a number. Nobody told you what to do with the muscles around it.
Clinical Pilates for scoliosis is one-to-one exercise on the reformer and spine corrector, set for the side and shape of your curve, with Jasmine Ang at our Jurong East clinic. Every 45 minutes runs through the five parts of the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute’s scoliosis approach. $180 per 45-minute appointment, nett. Bring your spine X-ray.
Phoebe replies with two times at Jurong East. Vision Exchange, 2 Venture Drive #02-02, on the sheltered walkway from Jurong East MRT Exit B.
Can Pilates help scoliosis?
Pilates can help people with scoliosis build trunk strength, breathing and control around the curve, so sitting, standing and carrying load less unevenly. It does not straighten the curve. The research on Pilates and the curve itself is very limited, so for a child who is still growing it sits alongside the doctor’s reviews and any brace, never in place of them.1,2
Who asks about it
A number on an X-ray, and a body that still leans
Most people who ask us about Pilates for scoliosis are in one of two places:
- “School screening flagged her in Primary 6. The doctor said 18 degrees, watch it, come back in six months.”
- “I have had scoliosis since I was 14. At 40, the right side of my lower back aches by the end of every workday.”
Watching a mild curve is often the right call. The doctor is answering the question that matters most: is it getting bigger? The six months between reviews are a different question, and nobody owns it.
She still slings the school bag on one shoulder. The skirt sits higher on one side and you have stopped mentioning it. By the second hour of an exam she is propped on one elbow. Or it is you: the long meeting, the drive home, the side of the back that always wins the argument.
The X-ray measures the bones. It does not measure how she breathes into the flat side of her ribs, how long she can hold herself level, or which side of her trunk does all the work. Has anyone tested those?
Before you start
Bring your X-ray
A recent full spine X-ray shows the size of the curve (the Cobb angle, in degrees), where it sits and which way it turns. Jasmine sets your exercises from it. If you do not have one, your GP or doctor can order it. Therapists do not order X-rays. If it is your child and the curve was found at school screening, the doctor who reviewed it will have the report.
What the degrees usually mean for treatment, and who decides, is on our page on scoliosis physiotherapy.
Where you start
Where you start depends on your curve and whether it hurts
Start with Jasmine
No pain or injury, X-ray in hand, curve of 10 to 35 degrees
Any age. Start with Jasmine directly, $180 for 45 minutes. For a child or teenager, the doctor or spine specialist keeps checking the curve, and Pilates does not replace a brace.
Physiotherapist first
Pain, an injury, or past spinal surgery
Start with an Assessment & Treatment with a physiotherapist at Jurong East, $230 for 45 minutes. They check the back, treat it, and tell you when the reformer suits you.
Doctor first
Over 35 degrees, no X-ray yet, or a curve getting worse
See your GP or spine specialist first. Above 35 degrees, a brace or surgery may be part of the discussion, and that decision comes before exercise. Without an X-ray nobody knows the size of the curve, and therapists do not order X-rays. The same applies if your scoliosis has a known cause, such as a neuromuscular condition. Come back with the report.
Your 45 minutes
Five parts, every appointment
Every 45-minute appointment covers all five parts, in this order. The exercises inside each part are set for your curve and changed as you progress.
Elongation
Lengthening the spine upward first, so every exercise after it starts from the tallest position you can hold.
Breathing
Breathing into the side of the ribcage that moves less. With a curve, one side of the ribs is usually stiffer.
Standing stretch combinations
Stretches done standing, in the positions you spend your day in, so the length you gain carries over off the reformer.
Strengthening
On the reformer and spine corrector, where the load is set for you. The side of the trunk that does less gets more of the work.
Mobilization
Moving the stiff parts of the spine and ribs through the range they have stopped using.
Jasmine works mainly on the reformer and spine corrector, and sometimes with a gym ball and ladder. You leave with the exercises to do at home between appointments. Jasmine tells you at the first appointment how often she suggests you come.
Straight answers
What Pilates cannot do for scoliosis
- It does not straighten the curve. No exercise method has shown that reliably.1
- It does not replace a brace. For a growing child with a moderate curve, the brace and the doctor’s reviews come first.1,3
- The evidence is thin. A 2023 review found seven studies of Pilates for scoliosis and called the evidence on the curve very limited. It suggested Pilates may help posture in mild curves with little growth left.2 A 2024 Cochrane review of exercise for adolescent scoliosis rated the evidence low to very low certainty.1
We tell you this before you book because it is what your doctor would say. What the reformer can do is train the strength, breathing and control around the curve, and that is measurable.
When it is a doctor first
Signs that mean a doctor, not Pilates
- Go to the emergency department now for new weakness or numbness in the legs, numbness between the legs or around the back passage, or new trouble passing urine or stool.
- See a doctor the same day for back pain with a fever or feeling unwell.
- See a doctor soon for back pain that wakes you at night, pain that is constant or getting worse, a curve that looks bigger before the next review, or back pain in a young child.
Who you see
The team at Jurong East
Every appointment is one to one with the therapist, for the full 45 minutes. No therapy assistants.
Jasmine Ang
Clinical Pilates and hand therapy. Principal Hand Occupational Therapist, AHPC A1900217H. Balanced Body certified Reformer Pilates instructor, over 214 hours of certification training. Trained with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute in Pilates for scoliosis on the reformer (2026) and in pre- and postnatal Pilates. Consults in English and Mandarin.
Ching Yee
Principal Physiotherapist at Jurong East. Knees after joint replacement, back pain after pregnancy, pelvic and groin pain. Sees the physiotherapy Assessment & Treatment when you start with a physiotherapist.
Zita Sham
Principal Physiotherapist at Jurong East. Foot and ankle, Achilles tendon, and shoulder stiffness. Sees the physiotherapy Assessment & Treatment when you start with a physiotherapist.
The fee
What it costs
Clinical Pilates for scoliosis
Per 45-minute appointment, nett. Your first appointment and every follow-up cost the same. You pay as you attend. There is no package, and you can stop at any appointment.
- One to one with Jasmine, mainly on the reformer and spine corrector
- All five parts, every appointment
- Home exercises set for your curve
Questions we get asked
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Pilates straighten scoliosis?
No. Pilates does not straighten a curve, and no exercise method has shown that it reliably can. It trains the strength, breathing and control around the curve. For a growing child, the doctor’s reviews and any brace come first.
Is reformer Pilates safe if I have scoliosis?
For most people with scoliosis, yes, when the exercises are set for their curve by someone who has seen the X-ray. Copying a group class or a video without knowing your curve is different. If your back hurts, you have an injury or you have had spinal surgery, a physiotherapist assesses you first. If the curve is changing, see your doctor first.
Do I need an X-ray before Pilates for scoliosis?
Yes. Without a recent spine X-ray, see your GP or doctor first, because therapists do not order X-rays. It shows the size of the curve, where it sits and which way it turns, and the exercises are set from it.
Can children and teenagers do Pilates for scoliosis?
Yes, all ages are seen. With a recent X-ray, a curve of 10 to 35 degrees and no pain or injury, a child or teenager can start with Jasmine directly. With pain or an injury, a physiotherapist assesses first. The doctor or spine specialist keeps checking the curve, and Pilates sits alongside a brace, not in place of it.
Is Pilates or yoga better for scoliosis?
Neither has strong evidence on the curve itself. What matters more is that the exercises are chosen for your curve rather than for a class. Clinical Pilates here is one to one and set from your X-ray.
How much is Pilates for scoliosis at Phoenix Rehab?
$180 nett per 45-minute appointment, one to one with Jasmine Ang at our Jurong East clinic. If a physiotherapist needs to assess you first, that Assessment & Treatment is $230 for 45 minutes.
Tell us about your curve
Four things are enough: the age, the curve in degrees, whether you have the X-ray, and whether there is pain or an injury. Phoebe replies with two times at our Jurong East clinic. Bring the X-ray report.
Therapists assess, treat, exercise, educate and refer; doctors diagnose, order imaging and decide on bracing and surgery. Exercise for scoliosis is set for each person and does not replace medical review.
Sources: 1. Romano M, Negrini A, Parzini S, et al. Exercises for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024. 2. Kuru Çolak T, Akçay B, Apti A. Effects of Pilates exercises on idiopathic scoliosis: a scoping review of the literature. Spine Deform. 2023. doi:10.1007/s43390-023-00668-z. 3. Negrini S, Donzelli S, Aulisa AG, et al. 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis Spinal Disord. 2018;13:3.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
