Page 87 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

The effectiveness of Pilates on reducing chronic non-specific low back
pain

Ema Batagelj, Sanja Ferjančič, Denisa Manojlović Ivezić
University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia

Introduction: Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is becoming
more common as the population grows and ages. Non-specific pain accounts for mo-
re than half of all cases of chronic low back pain and it has a significant impact on an in-
dividual‘s physical functioning, mental health and quality of life, and has high treatment
costs. One possible treatment intervention is Pilates, which aims to increase muscle
strength, endurance and flexibility while maintaining spinal stability. Pilates is becoming
popular in the treatment of chronic low back pain, although there is no clear evidence
in the literature on its short-, medium- and long-term effects.
Methods: The scientific literature on Pilates for chronic non-specific low back pain was
searched in PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus using the keywords „low back pain“,
„chronic“, and „Pilates“. The literature review included randomised controlled trials
published in the last 10 years. The population consisted of individuals with chronic
non-specific low back pain. Comparison was made between Pilates intervention and
control groups, different Pilates techniques or frequencies, and other exercises. We
only included studies that also monitored the short-, medium- and long-term effects
of Pilates.
Results: Eight studies were included in the systematic literature review. Pilates proved
to be more effective in pain management than extension exercises, aerobic exercise,
trunk strengthening exercises, pharmacological treatment and an educational brochu-
re immediately after the treatment. Pain was most alleviated with a Pilates frequency
of twice a week, but was not more effective compared to general back exercises. Fol- preventiva in rehabilitacija ... | prevention and rehabilitation ...
lowing short-term effects, Pilates was found to be more effective than the no-inter-
vention group. The medium-term effects of Pilates were confirmed in one of the inclu-
ded studies. Moreover, the long-term effects of Pilates on pain were not confirmed.
Discussion and conclusions: The findings of our systematic literature review suggest that
Pilates is more effective in the short term compared with other non-exercise inter-
ventions, but we cannot confirm its medium- and long-term effects. More long-term
randomised controlled trials on the effects of Pilates in patients with chronic non-spe-
cific low back pain are needed.
Keywords: pilates, chronic low back pain, non-specific

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