Randomised trial, 2026
Is Pilates exercise more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms?
Yes. In this small randomized trial of 20 college students with PMS, Pilates was significantly better than stretching exercises at reducing symptoms.
What they did
A randomized trial of 20 college students with PMS who were divided into two groups of 10. One group performed Pilates exercises and the other performed stretching exercises. Premenstrual symptoms were measured before and after the interventions using a daily severity rating scale.
What they found
Pilates exercise showed statistically better improvement in PMS symptoms than stretching (the calculated test statistic was 3.97, which exceeded the threshold value of 2.878 at the p=0.005 level).
What it means for you
Pilates may be more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms in young women. This is a very small study of only college-age students, so results may not apply to women of other ages or different populations.
20
Total number of college students
10 per group
Students per exercise type
3.97
Test statistic (significant at p=0.005)
About the study
- Original title
- A comparative study on the effectiveness of Pilates exercises and stretching exercises on premenstrual syndrome among college girls
- Authors
- Mythreye K, Sweshadev Nayak, MK Franklin Shaju
- Journal
- International journal of applied research
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Pilates exercises versus stretching exercises
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.22271/allresearch.2026.v12.i8b.13995
Topics
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