Effectiveness of Pilates and Yoga to improve bone density in adult women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The ageing population brings about the appearance of age-related health disorders, such as osteoporosis or osteopenia. These disorders are associated with fragility fractures. The impact is greater among postmenopausal women due to an acceleration of bone mineral density (BMD) loss. Objective To estimate the effectiveness of Pilates or Yoga on BMD in adult women. Methods Five electronics databases were searched up to April 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs and pre-post studies were included. The main outcome was BMD. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A random effects model was used to pool data from primary studies. Subgroup analyses based on the type of exercise were conducted. Results Eleven studies including 591 participants aged between 45 and 78 years were included. The mean length of the interventions ranged from 12 to 32 weeks, and two studies were performed for a period of at least one year. The pooled effect size for the effect of the intervention (Pilates/Yoga) vs the control group was 0.07 (95% Confidence interval [CI]: -0.05 to 0.19; I2 = 0.0%), and 0.10 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.18; I2 = 18.4%) for the secondary analysis of the pre-post intervention. Conclusions Despite of the non-significant results, the BMD maintenance in the postmenopausal population, when BMD detrimental is expected, could be understood as a positive result added to the beneficial impact of Pilates-Yoga in multiple fracture risk factors, including but not limited to, strength and balance.

Training Benefits and Injury Risks of Standing Yoga Applied in Musculoskeletal Problems: Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis

“…As a form of exercise, the practice of yoga has increased rapidly in recent years among all age groups, as individuals seek ways to stay healthy and resolve physiological and psychological problems. The benefits of yoga practice have been demonstrated in previous studies: yoga improves flexibility and strength [1][2][3][4], raises the quality of life, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease [5], and improves musculoskeletal health [6][7][8][9][10]. It has been reported that yoga is safe as a usual form of care and exercise [11].…”

Harnessing the benefits of yoga for myositis, muscle dystrophies, and other musculoskeletal disorders

“…As these patients are also prone to a higher fall risk, it is imperative that bone health be maintained from an early age. Yoga therapy has been shown to help maintain stability of bone mineral density in post-menopausal women, effectively preventing decline in bone strength [43]. Furthermore, yoga therapy has been shown to decrease pain levels and improve patient functioning which can improve mobility in these patients [36].…”

Effects of eight weeks of mat pilates training on selected hematological parameters and plasma volume variations in healthy active women

“…Joseph Pilates developed Pilates using six key principles: centering, concentration, control, precision, flow, and breath [ 1 – 4 ] . Pilates training (PT) is intended to improve general body flexibility and health by emphasizing core strength, posture, and coordination of breathing with movement [ 4 , 5 ] .…”

“…Joseph Pilates developed Pilates using six key principles: centering, concentration, control, precision, flow, and breath [ 1 – 4 ] . Pilates training (PT) is intended to improve general body flexibility and health by emphasizing core strength, posture, and coordination of breathing with movement [ 4 , 5 ] . Otherwise, PT has been used to reduce pain and disability [ 6 ] , to improve sports performance [ 2 , 4 ] , and to treat arterial-hypertension, chronic neck pain, and post-menopausal osteoporosis [ 6 ] .…”

“…Pilates training (PT) is intended to improve general body flexibility and health by emphasizing core strength, posture, and coordination of breathing with movement [ 4 , 5 ] . Otherwise, PT has been used to reduce pain and disability [ 6 ] , to improve sports performance [ 2 , 4 ] , and to treat arterial-hypertension, chronic neck pain, and post-menopausal osteoporosis [ 6 ] . Some clinical trials chose this non-pharmacological treatment for 12 weeks as a therapy for acute chronic neck pain [ 7 ] , to enhance functional and cognitive performance in elderly people [ 8 ] , to increase lower limb strength in Parkinson’s disease patients [ 9 ] , and to reduce heart rate and creatinine kinase activity in patients [ 10 ] .…”