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"Tuula has helped me tremendously with my back pain. I came to her after my first surgery and headed for a second. I was in tremendous pain and after my first lesson I left pain free. She is a great teacher and also has a physical therapy background so she knows how far to take you. I couldn't do ANY exercise when I came to her without pain. I started off with two times a week but have started going three times a week to prepare for my next (and hopefuly last) back surgery. She has taken me out of pain and I am getting back in shape. I am going to continue pilates with her after the surgery. I know that core muscle strength is key to resolving back pain and I never want to experience the level of pain I had before I met Tuula at PilatesWise. I tried other Pilates teachers and no one got me the results that Tuula has. Thank you Tuula for being such a great teacher and helping me with my chronic back pain!"
- Laura Miller, Carlsbad
 "Over the summer I unluckily tore my meniscus in my right knee playing football. I had to get arthroscopic surgery causing my knee to weaken and stiffen up. Being a receiver and needed by my team I had to recover quickly. Thanks to Pilateswise and Tuula’s professional experience in helping me rehabilitate my knee I was back on the field in a matter of weeks after my surgery. Through specifically tailored pilates and stretching exercises I gained stability and strength in and around my knee and the mobility in my knee increased greatly. I can’t thank Tuula enough for allowing me to finish my football season and not only rehabilitating my knee but also being a huge pleasure to train with."
- Val Salomaki, Carlsbad
 "Pilateswise is just the best. I was lucky enough to find Tuula when I chose a Pilates Studio in North County. I have had a number of medical problems in the last 4 years - a mastectomy, a partial knee replacement and back surgery that required a fusion. So, I was cautious in what I could do to get my strength and shape back. Tuula is a joy to work with - she has a wonderful laugh and a warm personality that makes me look forward to each session with her. I am also blessed that she is so well trained in PT as she is able to spot all my weaknesses and works with me to improve my flexibility and range of motion. I have only been going to her for about a month - twice a week but am already seeing incredible changes in my body and my energy. She is wonderful -- do yourself a favor and get to know her. You'll be glad you did."
- Doreen Clifton, Carlsbad
"After relocating to Carlsbad, I was fortunate enough to find Tuula and Pilateswise in Carlsbad. I struggle with SI-joint dysfunction and she has helped me tremendously. She is very knowledgeable about anatomy and rehabilitation. Her prior experience with si-joint hypermobility and lower back pain make me feel that I am in good hands. She provides numerous strengthening techniques which protect the lower back while strengthening the muscles supporting it. She monitors every move making sure to keep your body in a safe and proper alignment so you can strengthen the proper way. Her attentiveness is exceptional and I feel that she is getting me better! She takes the time to understand the specifics of your body and will tailor exercises to your specific needs. She also does a lot of reading and researching to address your problems and I appreciate all the time she has dedicated to me."
- Jessica Pisegna, Carlsbad "I have had other instructors over the years. However, I always spent several days after my sessions in pain (neck problems). Tuula fixed that. She is extremely skilled, highly educated, really listens, cares and observes existing problems. With her assistance, I am extremely flexible now and my core is very very strong after just five weeks. I'm thrilled. Tuula mixes up the exercises. Workouts never get boring and makes me want to work harder each time. My golf game has improved - I can now outdrive the guys,. I am standing up straight, have much less neck pain and my flabby body is now firm. My clothes fit beautifully and I feel great. MY THANKS TO TUULA."
- Mary Ackermann, Carlsbad
"I have been doing Pilates for several years now and have had 7 different Pilates teachers. Tuula is by far the BEST TEACHER I have ever had. She was a physical therapist in Finland and is incredibly knowledgeable about the human body. I have an autoimmune disease which causes severe pain in my hip joint. Tuula has shown me so many different exercises to strengthen the weak muscles that I have. By strengthening the weak muscles my pain level has gone down. Tulla is always willing to explain the countless questions that I have. She has a very cheerful personality and always has a smile on her face. The Pilates training of most Pilates teachers is limited and really doesn't cover the many different problems that people may have such as severe back pain, herniated discs, neck problems, arthritis etc, etc. With Tuula's knowledge of the human body she knows how to deal with all of these ailments. She is always studying to learn even more. I would not hesitate in wholeheartedly suggesting you give her a call today."
- Kate Martin, 52, Carlsbad
"I've have a series of injuries to my C-spine, L-Spine, hip and had a number of concussions from snowboarding making coordination hard at times from restricted movement, flexibility and pain. I started working with Tuula and while the first week was rough (always is with activity now), in 3 weeks I went from about 8% coordination, strength and flexibility to about 80% of what I should be with hardly any pain. The difference is her background in physical therapy, injuries and other various diseases. She wasn't just handed a pilates certificate, she has a medical background and a broad understanding of the body and how to really tailor and make pilates work for you - whatever your case may be. She can work with a variety of issues, and even significantly help Parkinson's (my Dad went to her as well). If you need help with coordination, mobility, injuries and recovery, this is the place to go."
- Heidi Harken, 34, Carlsbad
"I went to Tuula after seeing a couple of different physical therapists who said I needed to strengthen and stabilize my back. I choose her because of her background in physical therapy. She took the time to be sure to understand my capabilities and did not just give me the same set of exercises that everyone gets when they say they have a bad back. After about a month I felt like my core was getting stronger, and I was gaining more awareness of my movement patterns and posture. Tuula always checks to be sure the exercises are right for you, she is a patient instructor and I never felt rushed or insignificant."
- Keri McNamara, 33, Oceanside
"I started working with Tuula about 4 months ago and selected her because of her strong background in rehabilitation pilates. I injured my back 8 years ago, resulting in several herniated disks along with continued back and hip pain. Although I still tried to work out, I would often strain my back swimming or picking items up. Tuula worked on identifying the weak muscles and targeting those areas. We've worked on strengthening my core muscles so my back is now supported, my abdominals are strong, and I'm swimming stronger and faster than ever before. My posture has improved and feel that my body is in balance and pain-free, probably for the first time in my adult life."
- Nancy, 40, Carlsbad
"Tuula is amazing! I interviewed many North County Pilates instructors and chose to work with Tuula. Her physical therapy background and knowledge on how to strengthen the body without impacting the injured area made her an obvious choice for me. I'd had a serious neck injury in the previous 6 months and I needed core strength to help my recovery without risking additional injury to my neck. Additionally, I had old knee, ankle and spine injuries that Tuula has worked around. She's worked very carefully with me over the past 6 months to strengthen not only my core, but to correct very old imbalances in my body due to childhood knee injuries. She's worked with my my fear of additional injury to bring me to a point of confidence in myself again. I now have more strength and confidence in my body than I've had since childhood and I now have increased awareness of how I move throughout the day, which helps to further increase my stability and strength. Tuula' is very thorough and professional, while also being kind and supportive. She's a great instructor for anyone looking to increase strength and confidence in their body - and essential for anyone who's working around injuries."
- Stephanie, 42, Carlsbad
"Tuula Niskanen has helped me tremendously with my osteoporosis & sciatica. I am now pain free. Besides being a qualified Pilates instructor she is a also a trained physical therapist. She is a professional, kind, caring person. She will take the time to design a customized program for you to fit your specific needs. Tuula will also make the workout fun so that your hour will fly by. She is definitely the top of the line in Pilates instructors. I would strongly urge you to give this a try, you will certainly be pleased."
- Fran Barberi, 59, Carlsbad
"I worked with Tuula for approximately two months to help strengthen my lower back due to a bulging disc. Tuula was very knowledgeable and helpful at all times. She made the hour fly by with different exercises routines that changed week to week. Tuula not only helped me get stronger with my lower back but also explained in detail why I was having pain in my back and sciatica in my leg. After two months my back and core are much stronger. I would recommend Tuula for anyone that needs physical therapy for an injury."
- Brian, 34, San Marcos
"I have been in extreme pain since Jan-09. I was diagnosed by one doctor with Ankylosing Spondylitis, an auto-immune disease, and Fibromyalgia Syndrome by another. I am still not sure which disease I have but I know that in either case careful exercising and stretching are the keys to managing my pain and hopefully getting better. Pilates is a perfect fit because it provides the exercising and stretching and helps to strengthen the muscles needed to improve and maintain a good posture. However, you can't just walk into any pilates class with similar conditions because your exercises need to take into consideration your pain and diagnosis.Pilateswise provides exactly what I need. They take the time to understand my condition and current pain levels first and then adjust the set of exercises to make sure pilates is helping, not hurting, my condition. In addition, the extra time they spend making sure I understood how to perform each exercise to maximize its benefit is outstanding. I've had some pilates instructions in other places and it just does not compare.If you are suffering with pain or just need to fix your posture, this is the place for sure!"
- Tom Kavanaugh, 35, Encinitas
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