Nikoletta Kaseri: The First Woman in Greece Specializing in Human Biomechanics

Nikoletta Kaseri is a professional fitness trainer, Greek judo champion, and the only woman in Greece specializing in Human Biomechanics, an approach that promises a daily life free from pain.

It all began after she suffered a serious injury during a judo tournament and had to undergo surgery. For eight years, she lived with pain every day until she discovered the Functional Patterns method, through which she learned how to move and live without pain.

She is the first woman in Greece to apply this method, and in her interview today with Dimokratiki, we explore her journey—from growing up in Rhodes and achieving success in competitive sports to undergoing surgery and eventually specializing in a training method based on the evolutionary design of human movement.

• When did you first become involved in sports?

I was born and raised in Rhodes, and from an early age I had a natural inclination toward sports. In addition to the countless hours I spent playing football in the schoolyard and around the neighborhood, I participated in several sports throughout my childhood, including swimming at the NOR academies, athletics at the Diagoras Stadium academies, and basketball with the girls’ team at Diagoras.

In 2004, I started practicing judo at G.S. Athlitis and attended the Venetokleio Sports Junior High School and High School. From 2004 to 2010, I placed first in the Dodecanese Championships. I also won first place in the 48 kg category at the Greek Junior Women’s Judo Championships in 2004 and 2009, second place at the Greek Championships in 2005, 2006, and 2008, and fifth place at the 2009 Balkan Junior Women’s Championship. I was also a member of the Greek Junior Women’s National Judo Team.

In 2010, I was admitted through the national university entrance examinations to the School of Physical Education and Sport Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2013, I received an ERASMUS scholarship and spent six months studying at Université de Lille II in Lille, France.

I graduated in 2014, specializing in Outdoor Activities and Sports Tourism.

• Obviously, the fact that you grew up in Rhodes must have played a role in this as well.

Yes, of course. Growing up in Rhodes and my inevitable exposure to tourism certainly influenced my choice of specialization. Since then, I have worked professionally in sports tourism at luxury hotels in Halkidiki, Mallorca and Menorca, Spain. I should also add that I speak three languages: English, French and Spanish.

When I returned to Greece, I took on responsibility for the department at a hotel in Zakynthos. In 2019, I moved to Athens and worked for three years with a well-known gym chain. That same year, I began specializing in the FunctionalPatterns method, which is based on the biomechanics of movement. From 2019 until today, I have attended FunctionalPatterns seminars in Helsinki and Madrid, and today I am the first woman in Greece to specialize in this particular method.

• How did that come about?

My injury was the reason I decided to specialize in addressing musculoskeletal problems and physical pain. I understand what it means to be in pain, following the serious injury I suffered to my left knee during a judo tournament in Thessaloniki in 2011.

I still remember that morning, the day after the tournament. I woke up and realized that I couldn’t walk! What followed was a series of visits to doctors — consultations, crutches, MRIs… It was an especially difficult period for me because I was in my first year of university, so I couldn’t participate in sports, and my student apartment was on the third floor with no elevator! (laughs).

Eventually, I had surgery! Fortunately, I had the support of my siblings, and especially my parents, who came to Thessaloniki and helped me before and after the operation. I would like to publicly thank them for their support during that difficult time in my life.

After the surgery on my left knee, I experienced pain during any everyday activity for eight whole years, especially when going up and down stairs and walking! And as for sports activities — forget about it!

I was very fortunate to be working in the field of sports and exercise and discovered the FunctionalPatterns method, through which I learned how to move and live without pain. Today, I move and live without pain, and I run and exercise regularly without any problems whatsoever!

• And was this experience what motivated you to get involved with this particular method and, in fact, become the only woman applying it in Greece?

Inspired by my own experience, I want to help other people achieve the same in their everyday lives, because this particular exercise method has proven to be a long-term solution to physical problems, particularly those related to movement and pain.

The method I specialize in is called FunctionalPatterns. It is a training method founded in 2006 by CEO Naudi Aguilar. It is currently considered perhaps the leading training method in the fitness industry, as demonstrated by the visible results achieved by certified professionals of the method, including myself.

It is a method based on the evolutionary design of human movement — in other words, on how the human body is designed to move. Training focuses on teaching people to move according to the biological characteristics of human movement: posture, walking, running and throwing.

By applying the protocols of this particular approach, the benefits for someone who trains include:

1. Improvement of dysfunctional movement
2. Increased muscle mass
3. Stress management
4. Reduction of body fat
5. Reduced likelihood of injuries
6. Improved energy and better sleep

Today, I am the first woman in Greece to specialize in this method, and I am deeply proud of it!

• I imagine that, beyond injuries, the modern lifestyle is also responsible for creating musculoskeletal and other problems for us.

The modern lifestyle and the many hours we spend sitting, along with other factors such as stress, diet, insufficient exposure to sunlight and our disconnection from nature, have led the human body into positions and states that have little to do with its biological characteristics.

Knowing that the problem of “chronic pain is a pandemic that no one talks about” and making effective use of the way the human body functions — “which is designed to be healthy” — this particular method is primarily aimed at anyone who wants to exercise without injury, regardless of whether they are experiencing pain or not.

It is also intended for people experiencing any kind of physical pain — in the lower back, knees, hips, neck or shoulders — as well as people with musculoskeletal issues such as kyphosis, scoliosis and lordosis.

More recently, the method has also been applied to people with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, strokes and Parkinson’s disease. In fact, during the past month, I personally started working with a client who has both the effects of a stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and we are already seeing differences in the way he walks.

We still have a long way to go before we see significant results, but it is very encouraging to see changes in a body that already has so much to deal with.

• But why is this particular approach different, and why does it have the visible results you describe?

According to biomechanics — the branch of science that studies the effects of internal and external forces on the human body — which refers to pain caused directly by the way the body (bio) moves (mechanics), we analyze a person’s posture and the way they walk.

These analyses give us a holistic view of the condition of the body, allowing us to approach the human body as a system. Because that is what it is — a system!

• What does it mean that it is “a system”?

Within the human body there is a system called the fascial system, or fascia. Imagine it as a membrane that runs throughout the entire body, forming lines that are interconnected.

This entire system also connects and interacts with the nervous and circulatory systems of the human body. By understanding and utilizing the functions of this system, we address musculoskeletal problems and human pain.

Let’s assume that someone has lower-back pain. We don’t focus on that particular area. That area does not cause the pain; it is the symptom.

By focusing on other areas that are connected to the lower back and represent the causes of the pain, we achieve visible and, most importantly, long-term results.

By connecting the different parts of the human body, we address the causes rather than the symptoms.

And when I talk about long-term results, I mean that through a series of sessions and a process requiring dedication, precision and responsibility from both the person training and the professional specialized in the FunctionalPatterns Method, the body has the ability to change its position and movement through space and ultimately allow a person to live without pain for years.

Why? Because it addresses the problem at its cause, rather than treating the symptom!

In my own case, as well as in the case of my clients, no other intervention is needed beyond changing the movement pattern — the way the body moves — that causes the pain.

The conclusion? If I train my body as a system and address my problem at its root cause, I can move effectively. I can live without pain.

• So, is pain treated through exercise?

Yes. As I mentioned above, inspired by my own experience, I want to help other people achieve a high quality of life in their everyday lives, because effective exercise has proven to be a long-term solution to physical problems, particularly those related to movement and pain.

However, the process of moving the body out of a state of pain requires dedication, time, precision in movement and actions, and responsibility from both the person training and the professional specializing in the FunctionalPatterns method.

Precisely because this process requires hard work, it is also a “difficult” transition from the existing condition to the desired one.

It is also very important and encouraging for your readers to know that problems related to the human body, particularly movement-related problems, can ultimately be resolved and can remain resolved for years, potentially even for a person’s entire life!

• At what age can someone start?

If I were to answer impulsively, I would say: today… right now!

There is a myth surrounding pain and movement problems that says that as we get older, we experience more problems, more pain, and so on. This myth exists because people don’t effectively resolve their physical problems; instead, they address them temporarily.

There is research showing that aging itself is another disease! So I would never tell someone that because they are 60 or 70 years old, it isn’t worth starting.

I should also mention that my oldest client started at the age of 81!

It is an opportunity for every person to change the way they move and challenge the myth that “the older I get, the more problems I have.”

From my experience, I observe that most people start when they have already begun experiencing pain and have already tried other methods to solve the problem without success.

Personally, I would not recommend waiting until someone is in pain and struggling before starting.

This is an exercise method.

Finally, I would like to say that children are the future. And if, in the future, we want people who live and move without pain, children are the ones who can change the situation at its roots!

From the ages of 6–12, a child can start, as their neuromuscular system has developed enough for them to control their movements and develop motor skills.

In fact, during adolescence, musculoskeletal weaknesses and conditions such as scoliosis and kyphosis are often observed for the first time, so… the earlier, the better.

• Where is the method currently available?

First of all, to avoid any misunderstanding among your readers, I would like to point out that it is not enough for a professional simply to say that they apply this particular method.

There need to be proven results — before-and-after results from clients — as well as certification from FunctionalPatterns confirming that the professional is applying the specific method.

I mention this because there are currently very few of us in Greece — fewer than 10 certified professionals — who specialize in the FunctionalPatterns method.

So far, in Greece, the method is being applied in Athens, Katerini and Serres.

• Where can someone turn if they are interested?

I am personally the head of AthensBiomechanicsTraining, based in central Athens.

Technology has, of course, been extremely helpful in conducting online sessions, which I personally provide with a high success rate.

Eight out of ten clients who have also tried an online session reported that they experienced results in addressing their pain and changing their bodies.