Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Feb 22;12(3):236-268.
doi: 10.3390/ejihpe12030018.

Benefits of Pilates in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mário José Pereira  1 , Rodrigo Mendes  2 , Rui Sousa Mendes  2   3   4 , Fernando Martins  2   3   5 , Ricardo Gomes  2   3   4 , José Gama  4 , Gonçalo Dias  2   3   4 , Maria António Castro  3   6   7
Affiliations
Review

Benefits of Pilates in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mário José Pereira et al. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. .

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review is to collect and summarize the benefits of Pilates in the elderly population (>60 years old), within the current scientific production, assessing its contribution to Healthy Ageing (HA). We used PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) to select, collect, and analyse this thematic. The methodological procedures were registered in the PROSPERO database. The main results of the studies analysed (n = 30) point to significant differences between the intervention and the control groups in dynamic balance, strength, mobility, functional capacity, risk of falling reduction, and mental and psychological health. Thus, the results showed that Pilates may be beneficial for the health of the elderly. The meta-analysis found statistical differences between means on the dynamic balance (mean difference (MD) = −0.0, 95% CI [−0.71, −0.50]; I2: 0%) and the aerobic capacity and aerobic resistance [(MD) = 38.29, 95% CI [6.82, 69.77]; I2: 0%). Thus, it is concluded that the efficacy of Pilates has been shown in various areas of HA and has proven to be affordable and safe for the majority of people, using just a mat on the floor. Future studies should focus on the analysis of the relationship between the cost and the benefit of a Pilates intervention in the elderly population, to better understand how health costs can be minimized and to contribute to a multidisciplinary and generalized HA. Pilates has practical application for the clinicians, therapists, and health professionals that work with the elderly population.

Keywords: Pilates; active aging; balance; elderly; health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prisma Flowchart (adapted from [18]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis of the comparison of intervention and control groups on OLS Test.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of the comparison of intervention and control groups on dynamic balance.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of the comparison of intervention and control groups on ABC test.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of the comparison of intervention and control groups on handgrip test.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Meta-analysis of the comparison of intervention and control groups on 6 m walk test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization Resumo Relatório Mundial de Envelhecimento e Saúde. [(accessed on 27 December 2021)]. Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/186468/WHO_FWC_ALC_15.0....
    1. Długosz-Boś M., Filar-Mierzwa K., Stawarz R., Ścisłowska-Czarnecka A., Jankowicz-Szymańska A., Bac A. Effect of three months pilates training on balance and fall risk in older women. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021;18:3663. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073663. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lima M., Silva B., Rocha-Rodrigues S., Bezerra P. The impact of an 8-week Pilates-based physical training program on functional mobility: Data from a septuagenarian group. Biomed. Hum. Kinet. 2021;13:11–19. doi: 10.2478/bhk-2021-0002. - DOI
    1. Chodzko-Zajko W., Schwingel A., Park C.H. Successful Aging: The role of physical activity. Am. J. Lifestyle Med. 2009;3:20–28. doi: 10.1177/1559827608325456. - DOI
    1. Pucci G.C., Neves E.B., Santana F.S., de Almeida Neves D., Saavedra F.J. Comparative analysis of Pilates and resistance training in physical fitness of elderly. Retos. 2021;41:628–637. doi: 10.47197/retos.v41i0.84162. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources