Ana Rita Cruz is a Physiotherapist with over two decades of clinical, academic and educational experience, internationally recognised for her work in the development and dissemination of Clinical Pilates as a physiotherapy-based therapeutic exercise system.

She graduated in Physiotherapy in 2003 (Escola Superior de Saúde do Vale do Sousa, Portugal) and began her clinical practice immediately thereafter. In 2007, she founded her own private practice, where she continues to work in the fields of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy and Clinical Pilates, integrating evidence-based exercise into musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Alongside her clinical career, Ana Rita Cruz has developed a strong academic and teaching profile. She was invited to lecture at undergraduate level in 2004 and taught for eight years at the Escola Superior de Saúde do Vale do Sousa and Escola Superior de Saúde do Vale do Ave. She completed her Master of Science in Physiotherapy – Musculoskeletal Conditions in 2011 (Universidade Nova de Lisboa / Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal).

Her education in Pilates began in 2004, followed by formal training in Clinical Pilates. In 2008, she became an Accredited Clinical Pilates Teacher through Balance & Control Pilates Education (Australia). Since then, she has been actively involved in postgraduate education, having taught more than 230 Clinical Pilates courses across multiple European countries, including Portugal, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.

In 2010, she founded the Instituto Português de Pilates Clínico (IPPC), with the aim of establishing a rigorous, clinically grounded approach to Pilates education for Physiotherapists. This project has since evolved into the European Institute of Clinical Pilates, reflecting its expanded international scope and its commitment to high-level postgraduate education across Europe.

Ana Rita Cruz has supervised several undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and has been invited to deliver oral communications and practical workshops at national and international scientific congresses.

Her continuous professional development includes advanced training in Orthopaedic Manual Therapy, a postgraduate qualification in Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain, as well as multiple courses in Manual Therapy, Women’s Health and Clinical Exercise. She is also a Certified Mulligan Concept Practitioner, recognised by the Mulligan Concept Teachers Association. 

​