--- title: Is Pilates exercise more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms? description: Yes. In this small randomized trial of 20 college students with PMS, Pilates was significantly better than stretching exercises at reducing symptoms. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-comparative-study-on-the-effectiveness-of-pilates-exercises-and-stretching-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is Pilates exercise more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 # Is Pilates exercise more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms? Yes. In this small randomized trial of 20 college students with PMS, Pilates was significantly better than stretching exercises at reducing symptoms. Early or limited evidence 20 college students with PMS ## What they did A randomized trial of 20 college students with PMS who were divided into two groups of 10. One group performed Pilates exercises and the other performed stretching exercises. Premenstrual symptoms were measured before and after the interventions using a daily severity rating scale. ## What they found Pilates exercise showed statistically better improvement in PMS symptoms than stretching (the calculated test statistic was 3.97, which exceeded the threshold value of 2.878 at the p=0.005 level). ## What it means for you Pilates may be more effective than stretching for reducing PMS symptoms in young women. This is a very small study of only college-age students, so results may not apply to women of other ages or different populations. 20 Total number of college students 10 per group Students per exercise type 3.97 Test statistic (significant at p=0.005) ## About the study Original title A comparative study on the effectiveness of Pilates exercises and stretching exercises on premenstrual syndrome among college girls Authors Mythreye K, Sweshadev Nayak, MK Franklin Shaju Journal International journal of applied research Year 2026 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Pilates exercises versus stretching exercises Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.22271/allresearch.2026.v12.i8b.13995](https://doi.org/10.22271/allresearch.2026.v12.i8b.13995) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Bloating, breast tenderness and physical symptoms](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-physical-symptoms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2020 How do diet and lifestyle factors relate to PMS and PMDD in medical students? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2023 Does recreational physical exercise reduce premenstrual symptoms in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗