Abstract
Altan L, Korkmaz N, Bingol Ü, Gunay B. Effect of Pilates training on people with fibromyalgia
syndrome: a pilot study.
Objective
To investigate the effects of Pilates on pain, functional status, and quality of life
in fibromyalgia, which is known to be a chronic musculoskeletal disorder.
Design
Randomized, prospective, controlled, and single-blind trial.
Setting
Physical medicine and rehabilitation department.
Participants
Women (N=50) who had a diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) according to the American
College of Rheumatology criteria.
Intervention
The participants were randomly assigned into 2 groups. In group 1, a Pilates exercise
program of 1 hour was given by a certified trainer to 25 participants 3 times a week
for 12 weeks. In group 2, which was designed as the control group, 25 participants
were given a home exercise (relaxation/stretching) program. In both groups, pre- (week
0) and posttreatment (week 12 and week 24) evaluation was performed by one of the
authors, who was blind to the group allocation.
Main Outcome Measures
Primary outcome measures were pain (visual analog scale) and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire
(FIQ). Exploratory outcome measures were number of tender points, algometric score,
chair test, and Nottingham Health Profile.
Results
Twenty-five Pilates exercise and 24 relaxation/stretching exercise participants completed
the study. In group 1, significant improvement was observed in both pain and FIQ at
week 12 but only in FIQ at 24 weeks. In group 2, no significant improvement was obtained
in pain and FIQ at week 12 and week 24. Comparison of the 2 groups showed significantly
superior improvement in pain and FIQ in group 1 at week 12 but no difference between
the 2 groups at week 24.
Conclusions
We suggest Pilates as an effective and safe method for people with FMS. Our study
is the first clinical study designed to investigate the role of the Pilates method
in FMS 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.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
FIQ (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome), NHP (Nottingham Health Profile)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Footnotes
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
