Citation

Barker AL, Bird ML, Talevski J. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2014; 96(4): 715-723.

Affiliation

Health Services Research Unit, Center of Research Excellence in Patient Safety, Division of Health Services and Global Health Research, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.021

PMID

25511371

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Pilates on balance and falls in older adults; and whether programs tested in prior studies met best-practice recommendations for exercise to prevent falls. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, PubMed, The Physiotherapy Evidence Database and The Cochrane Library were searched from earliest record to July 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized and controlled clinical trials evaluating the effect of Pilates on balance and falls in older adults. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted demographic, intervention and outcome data. Six studies were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: There is a lack of high-quality studies in this area. When compared to non-active control groups, Pilates was shown to improve balance (SMD 0.84, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.23; 6 studies) and reduce the number of falls (SMD -2.03, 95% CI -2.66 to -1.40; 1 study). Three studies provided sufficient detail to enable assessment of compliance with the recommendation of exercises providing a moderate or high challenge to balance. In these studies, 2-36% of exercises were assessed as providing a moderate or high challenge to balance. All studies provided ≥2 hours of exercise per week and one provided >50 hours of exercise during the study period.

CONCLUSION: The evidence suggests Pilates can improve balance, an important risk factor for falls in older adults. However, there is limited data on the impact on falls. Effects may have been over-estimated due to the low methodological quality of studies. Best-practice recommendations were rarely applied in prior studies indicating greater effects may have been achieved if recommendations were incorporated.

Language: en