Effect of Pilates training on people with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Pilates on pain, functional status, and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The study was performed as a randomized, prospective, controlled, and single-blind trial. Fifty-five participants (30 men, 25 women) who were under a regular follow-up protocol in our Rheumatology Clinic with the diagnosis of AS according to the modified New York criteria were included in the study. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups: in group I, Pilates exercise program of 1 h was given by a certified trainer to 30 participants 3 times a week for 12 weeks, and in group II, designed as the control group, 25 participants continued previous standard treatment programs. In groups, pre-(week 0) and post treatment (week 12 and week 24) evaluation was performed by one of the authors who was blind to the group allocation. Primary outcome measure was functional capacity. Evaluation was done using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Exploratory outcome measures were Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Chest expansion, and ankylosing spondylitis quality of life (ASQOL) questionnaire. In group I, BASFI showed significant improvement at week 12 (P = 0.031) and week 24 (P = 0.007). In group II, this parameter was not found to have significantly changed at week 12 and week 24. Comparison of the groups showed significantly superior results for group I at week 24 (P = 0.023). We suggest Pilates exercises as an effective and safe method to improve physical capacity in AS patients. Our study is the first clinical study designed to investigate the role of Pilates method in AS treatment. We believe that further research with more participants and longer follow-up periods could help assess the therapeutic value of this popular physical exercise method in AS.

Exercise therapy for spondyloarthritis: a systematic review

“…2), with the overall risk of bias unclear. Seven studies were deemed to have a low risk of selection bias [13,24,25,[29][30][31]34]. Six studies used methods other than randomisation to allocate participants to groups [12, 21-23, 26, 35].…”

The Pilates method in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review

“…The aims of the studies of Table 1, were to evaluate the ef icacy of the Pilates Method regarding pain (20,23,25,27,8), lexibilidade (21,9,26,11), strength (22,28), balance (22,9,24,29), functionality (22,23,24,25,27,8), quality of life (23,24,26), muscular resistance (9), posture (9), fatigue (26), lumbo-pelvic stability (11), to quantify the effects of a Pilates program in the biomechanics of the shoulder and trunk (28), and to measure the participation and adherence to Pilates exercises (30).…”

“…The following instruments were used to evaluate pain: Borg CR10 scale (20), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) (23), Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (25), pain sub-scale of the Miami Back Index (25), pain sub-scale of the SF-36 (25) Numerical Rating Scale of 101 points (NRS-101) (27), and Roland Morris pain rating visual-analog scale (8). Flexibility was evaluated through: lexibility test on the Wells bench (21, 9, 11), leximeter (21), supine hamstring lexion test (9), and modi ied sit and reach test (26).…”

“…The following methods were used to evaluate balance: Four Square Step Test (FSST) (22), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (22), mediolateral sway range (22), modi ied balance board (9), Tinetti test (24), and functional reach test (29). Functionality was evaluated through: Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (22), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) (23), GDLAM Protocol (Latin-American Development Group for Maturity) for Assessment of Functional Autonomy postural analysis (9). Fatigue was evaluated using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) (26).…”

Quality of life and self-esteem of women who practice Pilates

“…This study also did not have a control group. Other studies have evaluated the quality of life in individuals, who practice Pilates, with diseases such as low back pain, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, menopause, ankylosing spondylitis and breast cancer (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) . We did not find in the literature a research in methodological equivalence in terms of gender of the sample and methodological design of the study.…”