Effect of Pilates Exercises on Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Doaa Mohammed Mahmoud Allam; Heba Ali Abd Elghaffar; Amira Mostafa Elshamy; Mohammed Abdelmotaal Safa; Ahmad Mahdi Ahmad

doi:10.33393/aop.2024.3228

Authors

Doaa Mohammed Mahmoud Allam Department of Physical Therapy for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Kafr El-Sheikh University, Kafr el-Sheikh - Egypt https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0510-4657
Heba Ali Abd Elghaffar Department of Physical Therapy for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disorders, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza - Egypt
Amira Mostafa Elshamy Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta - Egypt
Mohammed Abdelmotaal Safa Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta - Egypt
Ahmad Mahdi Ahmad Department of Physical Therapy for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disorders, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza - Egypt https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3148-885X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33393/aop.2024.3228

Keywords:

Anxiety/depression, Fatigue, Irritable bowel syndrome, Pilates exercises, Women

Abstract

Objective: Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is challenging, calling for therapeutic strategies other than pharmacological
treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on IBS symptoms and severity, frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and body weight in women with IBS.
Methods: Sixty women aged 20–45 with IBS were randomized into two groups: a study group (n = 30) receiving an 8-week Pilates program (2 sessions/week) plus dietary advice and a control group (n = 30) receiving dietary advice only. Inclusion criteria included moderate-to-severe IBS diagnosed via Rome IV criteria. The outcome measures were the IBS severity scoring system (IBS-SSS), the frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements, the modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS), hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) scale, and body weight (BW).
Results: The study group showed more significant improvements than the control group in total IBS-SSS score (Cohen d = 0.73, p <0.001), frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements (Cohen d = 0.50, p <0.001), total MFIS score (Cohen d = 0.74, p < 0.001), anxiety (Cohen d = 0.56, p < 0.001), and depression (Cohen d= 0.64, p <0.001). The study group also showed a significant reduction in body weight compared to baseline (p < 0.05). The control group showed significant improvements in all outcomes, except body weight, compared to baseline (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Adding Pilates to dietary advice significantly enhances IBS outcomes, bowel movement frequency, fatigue, anxiety, and depression compared to dietary advice alone. However, dietary advice alone also yielded notable benefits.

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