Influence of the Practice of the Pilates Method on Pain Perception During Pregnancy: A Quasiexperimental Study.
Carmen Feria-Ramirez, Juan D Gonzalez-Sanz, Rafael Molina-Luque and 1 others
PMID 40211942WHAT IT FOUND
Prenatal classes plus four weeks of Pilates was associated with lower pelvic and abdominal pain risk than classes alone.
Lumbar pain reports decreased in the Pilates group. Dorsal pain did not differ. Self-selection limits certainty.
Key findings
01At the end of the intervention, the prenatal-class-only group had greater risk of pelvic pain (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.18-4.51) and abdominal pain (OR, 5.24; 95% CI, 2.23-12.35) than the Pilates group.
02In the Pilates group, lumbar (P=.02), pelvic (P=.01), and abdominal (P<.001) pain prevalence decreased significantly over the study, while dorsal pain did not.
03Participants chose whether to join the Pilates group or the prenatal-class-only group, so the study cannot show that Pilates alone caused the differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Women self-selected into the Pilates or control group, so motivation, interest in exercise or other unmeasured differences may explain the results. The Pilates group also attended prenatal classes, so the contribution of Pilates cannot be separated from the classes. The study was not randomised; it was a quasiexperimental secondary analysis. A power analysis reported statistical power of .645. Data collection started at 26 weeks gestation, so pain causes predating pregnancy were not assessed. The parent trial's primary outcome was intrapartum perineal injuries, but this secondary analysis reports pain outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Pilates alone reduced pregnancy pain. The women chose their group, and the Pilates group also received prenatal classes, so the study cannot separate Pilates from classes or self-selection.