Objetivo: Avaliar a influência do método Pilates na flexibilidade, nível de dor e qualidade de vida em idosos. Métodos: Participaram do estudo 31 idosas (65,84±3,64 anos) que foram dividas em dois grupos: grupo controle (n=17) e grupo Pilates (n=14). O Grupo Pilates realizou treinamento com o método Pilates, enquanto o controle recebeu palestras. A avaliação foi composta por testes específicos de dor (Escala Visual Analógica), flexibilidade (Sentar e Alcançar, Ângulo Poplíteo) e qualidade de vida (SF-36), ao término das oito semanas foi realizada a reavaliação. Resultados: O Grupo Pilates apresentou melhora da flexibilidade no teste Sentar e Alcançar (p=0,033), Ângulo Poplíteo direito (p=0,015) e esquerdo (p=0,0027), diminuição do nível de dor (p=0,0187) e manutenção da qualidade de vida. O grupo controle não apresentou diferença significativa. Conclusão: O método Pilates pode contribuir na redução da dor, aumento da flexibilidade e manutenção da qualidade de vida em idosas. Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos: RBR-9mndx8

Objective: To evaluate the influence of the Mat Pilates method on thoracic hyperkyphosis and postural balance among elderly women. Method: A randomized longitudinal study was performed involving 31 elderly women who were divided into two groups: the Control Group (n=17) and the Pilates Group (n=14). The Pilates Group underwent training while the Control Group attended lectures. Evaluation consisted of specific balance (one-leg right and left) and thoracic kyphosis (computed biophotogrammetry) tests. The subjects were reassessed at the end of eight weeks. Data was analyzed by the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality, and the paired Student's t, the unpaired Student's t, the Wilcoxon, and the Mann-Whitney statistical tests, with a significance level of 5% ( p<0.05). Results: The Pilates group maintained balance levels ( p>0.05) and had a mean thoracic kyphosis reduction of 6 degrees ( p<0.001). There was no significant difference ( p>0.005) in any of the variables in the Control Group. Conclusion: The present study found that the Mat Pilates method contributed to a reduction in thoracic kyphosis and the maintenance of balance in the elderly women investigated. REBEC: RBR-6jd8nq

With aging, the respiratory muscle strength decreases and the pilates method is a technique that uses respiration as one of its principles. The present study has the aim of analyzing the influence of the pilates method on respiratory muscle strength in older women. For the evaluation of respiratory muscle strength (inspiratory and expiratory), manovacuometer was used. Thirty-one older women were divided into two groups: 14 participated in the pilates group and 17 in the control group. Participants of the pilates group performed 16 sessions of pilates method with an hour of training, twice week for eight weeks. The control group participated in four educational lectures for eight weeks. For statistical analysis, Shapiro-Wilk, ANOVA for repeated measures (p <0.05) and Cohen’s D index were performed. The results showed significant difference and the mean effect for the Cohen’s D index expiratory muscle strength of the pilates group when comparing before (69.71 ± 25.48) and after (85.23 ± 22.21) training (p<0.05) with an increase of 23%. The results of inspiratory muscle strength were not significant but presented an average effect for the Cohen’s D index for the pilates group before (69.71 ± 35.46) and after (88.00 ± 34.87) training, with an increase of 27%. The control group did not present significant differences for the variables evaluated. It could be concluded that the pilates method is effective in improving expiratory muscle strength and provides positive effects on the increase in inspiratory muscle strength.

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Introduction:The low back pain is the most prevalent between the musculoskeletal disorders, and it is the most common reasons of absence from work. The flexibility, mobility, strength and endurance of the low back stability influence and the disharmony between these factors may result in low back pain. One of Maitland's technique, which alter these factors, is posteroanterior (PA) mobilization. Objective: To analyze the posterior chain's flexibility, low back's mobility, trunk extensor's endurance and low back extensors' muscle strength after performed one treatment session using the Maitland method on youth with low back pain. Method: For this research, sixteen women (22 ± 3.03 years) with chronic low back pain participated. All volunteers were evaluated according to their perception of pain, flexibility, mobility, muscular strength and muscular endurance. The treatment protocol was the application of PA mobilization on the five lumbar vertebrae, from caudal direction to cranial, of three series of one minute in each vertebra. The same procedures of the initial evaluation were performed after the immediate application of PA mobilization technique (revaluation 1) and 7 days after the protocol (revaluation 2). The data were analyzed by the Shapiro-Wilk's normality test; analysis of variance (ANOVA) repeated measures one-way with pos-hoc Bonferroni and Friedman's ANOVA with pos-hoc Wilcoxon, with the level of significance of 5% (p< 0,05). Results: After PA mobilization application, there were significant improvements in muscular strength (immediate post-treatment and past seven days) and muscular endurance (immediate post-treatment). There were no significant improvements in the other variables, such as, level of pain, and lumbar flexibility and mobility. Conclusion: The lumbar PA mobilization was effective for increasing muscular strength and endurance, with stabilization of the level of pain, flexibility and mobility.