Non-randomised trial, 2021
Does pilates exercise reduce PMS symptoms?
Pilates exercise appeared to reduce PMS symptoms in this study, but the evidence is weak because the study was small and women were not randomly assigned to groups.
What they did
Researchers divided 50 university students with PMS into two groups of 25. One group practiced pilates exercises for 3 months, and the control group continued their usual habits. PMS symptoms were measured at the start and end using a standard scale.
What they found
At the start, both groups had similar PMS symptom scores. After 3 months, the pilates group had significantly lower scores than the control group. Within the pilates group, symptom scores dropped significantly from beginning to end (p less than 0.001).
What it means for you
Pilates may help reduce PMS symptoms. However, this is a small study and women were not randomly assigned to groups, making it harder to be confident in the results. A larger randomized study would provide stronger evidence.
50
Total sample size (25 exercise, 25 control)
3
Duration of pilates training (months)
p<0.001
Pilates group improvement significance
About the study
- Original title
- Effect of pilates exercises on premenstrual syndrome symptoms: a quasi-experimental study
- Authors
- Çitil ET, Kaya N
- Journal
- Complementary therapies in medicine
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 286
- What was tested
- Pilates exercises for 3 months
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102623
Topics
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