The effects of Pilates exercise on cardiopulmonary function in the chronic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trials.
Hee Sung Lim, Sukhoon Yoon
PMID 28603381WHAT IT FOUND
Adding Pilates to usual stroke rehab improved resting heart rate, oxygen uptake and Timed Up and Go more than control in 20 chronic stroke patients, but both groups changed and the study was small.
Key findings
01Resting heart rate, VO2 max and VO2 max per kg were significantly different between the Pilates and control groups after 8 weeks.
02In the Pilates group, resting heart rate was 84.10 bpm before and 76.50 bpm after, VO2 max was 819.3 ml/min before and 964.8 ml/min after, and VO2 max per kg was 12.1 ml/kg/min before and 14.3 ml/kg/min after.
03The Pilates group showed significant improvement on Timed Up and Go, and the between-group difference was significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The trial was small, with 20 participants randomised and 10 analysed in each group. One control participant declined, but the paper still analysed 10 in each group, so the dropout handling is unclear. Both groups received conventional stroke rehabilitation, and the control group also had significant changes, so the effect of Pilates alone cannot be separated. The paper does not report blinding of participants, therapists or assessors. All participants could walk for more than 10 minutes and had MMSE-K scores above 24, so the findings may not apply to patients who cannot walk or have cognitive impairment. The TUG table shows negative pre and post values for the Pilates group. The exact TUG change is hard to interpret.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Pilates alone improved cardiopulmonary function. Both groups received conventional stroke rehabilitation, and the control group also had significant changes, so the contribution of Pilates cannot be separated.