Effectiveness of Pilates compared with home-based exercises in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain: Randomised controlled trial.
Caroline Ribeiro Tottoli, Ângela Jornada Ben, Everton Nunes da Silva and 3 others
PMID 39275840WHAT IT FOUND
Supervised Pilates reduced pain and disability more than home exercises, but the difference was too small to matter clinically.
However, Pilates led to a clinically relevant improvement in quality of life that persisted at six months.
Key findings
01Pilates resulted in significantly lower pain intensity and disability compared with home exercises immediately after the intervention.
02The differences in pain and disability between groups were not considered clinically relevant.
03Pilates produced a clinically relevant improvement in health-related quality of life that was maintained at the six-month follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Therapists and participants were not blinded, which may have influenced subjective outcomes like pain and perceived recovery. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected adherence and follow-up attendance. The baseline disability levels of participants were not high, which may have limited the ability to detect clinically relevant differences in disability scores (floor effect). Data on dynamic balance, originally planned as an outcome, was not collected due to pandemic restrictions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Federal District Research Support Foundation and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, with no role for funders in design or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Pilates is superior for reducing pain or disability. While the statistical differences were significant, the authors explicitly state these differences were not clinically relevant. The true advantage of Pilates in this trial was in quality of life and perceived recovery.