2016 has been an exciting year for Pilates in the world of research. We are starting to see an exponential increase in studies as Pilates becomes more prominent as a healthcare model.
Here are four free journal articles from this year already.
The effect of 12-week Pilates exercises on wellness in the elderly
Su Yeon Roh, Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 2016; 12(2): 119-123.
http://www.e-sciencecentral.org/articles/SC000014827
Many Pilates studios see elderly clients and with Australia’s rising ageing population, we anticipate that studios will be seeing even more in the future. Korea has also an advanced elderly population and Su Yeon Roh investigates the impact that a twelve week Pilates mat program has on the wellness of the participants. The first six weeks of the program is pre-Pilates and the second six weeks of the program is a modified basic level classical mat class. The study does not mention any screening for injury or health conditions, so it is assumed that all participants were healthy and did not have any loaded flexion contraindications such as osteoporosis. After the program there was a statistical difference in the physical, social, spiritual and emotional wellness of the participants.
Pilates-Based Mat Exercises and Parameters of Quality of Life in Women With Type 2 Diabetes
Hulya Yucel & Omer Uysal, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal 2016; 18(3): e21919
http://ircmj.com/?page=article&article_id=21919
Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic lifestyle disease that is on the increase in Australia. This study conducted by Yucel and Uysal looks at the effect of a twelve week Pilates based mat exercise intervention on quality of life (including pain and fatigue), anxiety, depression and glycemic control. The test subjects were 24 women and compared to a control group of 21 women in Turkey with T2D. A physiotherapist lead the Pilates sessions three times a week in the garden of a hospital starting with 40 minute sessions and leading to 70 minute sessions by the end of the twelve weeks. Within the Pilates trained group pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, mental health scores, haemoglobin levels and fasting blood glucose improved significantly over the twelve weeks, however, compared to the control group only their improvement in pain was significantly improved. This may be because of the relatively small sample size of the study. Overall, the study shows that Pilates is a worthwhile intervention for female clients with T2D.
Improvements in tissue blood flow and lumbopelvic stability after lumbopelvic core stabilisation training in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain
Aatit Paungmali, Leonard Joseph Henry, Patraporn Sitilertpisan, Ubon Pirunsan, & Sureeporn Uthaikhup, Journal Physical Therapy Science 2016; 28(2): 635–640.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4793024/
Improvement in blood flow to an injured area facilitates the healing process by increasing oxygen, nutrient and hormone levels, whilst also helping to remove waste and irritants from the affected tissue. This study was conducted with three groups who had no previous core training and had chronic non-specific lower back pain for an average of 40 months: one group received training on a Pilates Power Gym Transformer with a biofeedback used to measure lumbar stability, a placebo group cycled and a control group that rested. This study was double blinded, meaning that neither participants nor therapists were aware of what was being tested by the researchers. The results showed a massive 54% increase in blood flow to the core training groups’ lumbar region and this was significantly higher than recorded in the placebo or control group. This study shows that Joseph Pilates was right again – his method really does increase the amount of oxygen around the body!
The effect of a core exercise program on Cobb angle and back muscle activity in male students with functional scoliosis: a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, comparative study
Yun Hee Park, Young Sook Park, Yong Suk Shin, Jiyeon Hong & Kyoung Yul Lee, Journal of International Medical Research 2016, doi: 10.1177/0300060516639750.
http://imr.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/04/18/0300060516639750.abstract
Functional scoliosis is commonly seen in studios due to muscle imbalances that we can work to correct with our clients; as opposed to true structural scoliosis which is unable to be corrected through exercise. If you are unsure of the type scoliosis your client has, it is recommended that you refer your client to an Allied Health Professional for assessment. Park et al. in this study look at the effect of core strengthening exercises on the severity of the scoliosis (Cobb angle) and strength of the back muscles on college males. The participants are divided into two groups – one exercises at home and the other group exercises together. Though the exercises given to the groups were not purely Pilates, we can still apply the results in our context as core control and strength is what we do best! Both groups see a significant improvement in their Cobb angle and back muscle strength, which means that your clients with muscle imbalance in their backs will benefit from you giving them home exercises to do.
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