Журнал позвоночника

Pilates Can Affect Sagittal Spinal Alignment: An Observational Study

Abstract

Jan Schroeder

Purpose: “Pilates” is known to be a gentle technique of strength training with an emphasis on the deep trunk muscle layers. Positive influences on spinal form parameters are assumed.

Methods: Spinal form parameters of 24 female volunteers (10 Pilates / 14 controls) were measured before and after a definite Pilates program (12 units, 60 minutes each, once a week) by means of video raster stereography (Formetric®-system), and analyzed using 2-way ANOVA.

Results: We found significant (p<0.05) spine shape changes in the form of spinal erection (decreasing thoracic angle, increasing spinal length) after Pilates-based training exercises.

Conclusions: We consider the controlled spinal shape adaptations – apparent in an erection of spinal alignment in the sagittal plane – to be valid and specifically exercise-induced, supporting a basic idea of the Pilates training concept.