Pilates Program Reduces Pain Intensity Among Patients With Parkinson Disease

A 12-week Pilates program was feasible, well tolerated, and reduced pain and disability in a pilot study of patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease and chronic low back pain, according to findings published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.

The study included 15 patients who participated in 60-minute supervised Pilates sessions twice a week over 12 weeks. The 24 sessions emphasized isometric contractions of the core muscles.

Patients completed the full session 98% of the time, according to study authors.

After the 2-month intervention, pain and disability both significantly improved on several measures, such as the Visual Analog Scale, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire.

Researchers reported significant improvements in depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory and in Parkinson disease symptoms on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)—specifically, the UPDRSI and UPDRSIII subscales and the UPDRS total score.

Participants did not show significant gains, however, in fatigue or quality of life.

Pilates “appears to be a promising strategy to reduce pain intensity and lower back pain-related disability, as well as Parkinson disease motor and non-motor symptoms, which can be associated with this painful symptom,” wrote researchers. “This study provides a basis for future investigations, especially randomized clinical trials.”

Reference:
de Figueiredo Feital AMB, Goncalves BM, de Souza TR, Christo PP, Scalzo PL. Pilates method for low back pain in individuals with Parkinson’s disease: a feasibility study. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Published online May 19, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.05.020