--- title: Is Pilates exercise or Benson relaxation more effective for PMS? description: Both Pilates and Benson relaxation significantly reduced PMS symptoms. Pilates was more effective at reducing physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms aft url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effect-of-pilates-exercises-versus-benson-relaxation-technique-on-premenstrual-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is Pilates exercise or Benson relaxation more effective for PMS? Non-randomised trial, 2022 # Is Pilates exercise or Benson relaxation more effective for PMS? Both Pilates and Benson relaxation significantly reduced PMS symptoms. Pilates was more effective at reducing physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms after 8 weeks. Early or limited evidence 100 girl nursing students in Egypt ## What they did Quasi-experimental study of 100 girl students from a nursing university in Egypt. Half practiced Pilates exercises and half practiced Benson relaxation technique for 2 months. PMS symptoms were measured before and after. ## What they found Both interventions significantly reduced PMS symptoms (p<0.001). At 8 weeks, Pilates was statistically more effective than Benson relaxation (p<0.001) for reducing physical, behavioral, and psychological symptoms. ## What it means for you Pilates may be a practical non-drug way to ease PMS symptoms. The study was small (100 girl students) and did not include a control group that did neither treatment, so we need larger studies to confirm. 100 girl students studied 2 months duration of treatment p<0.001 Pilates more effective than Benson at 8 weeks ## About the study Original title Effect of Pilates Exercises versus Benson Relaxation Technique on Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms Authors Afaf Hassan Ahmed, Noha Mohamed Hassan, Abeer Hassan Shamekh Taman et al. Journal Egyptian Journal of Health Care Year 2022 Study design Non-randomised trial Participants 100 What was tested Pilates exercises versus Benson relaxation technique, 2 months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.21608/ejhc.2022.227168](https://doi.org/10.21608/ejhc.2022.227168) Original abstract Objectives: This study was done to identify the effect of Pilates exercises versus Benson relaxation technique on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Design: A quasi experimental was utilized. Subjects: A purposeive sample of 100 girl students were selected from four academic years in the faculty of nursing at Zagazig University. Tools: two tools were used for data collection Tool (I): Basic data structured Interview schedule and tool II Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS). The high score received from PMS shows that the symptoms were severe. The students in study groups were asked to practice the Pilates exercises and Benson relaxation technique for two months. At the end of the two months, premenstrual syndrome symptoms of experimental groups was diagnosed and the effect of interventions on PMS was evaluated. Results: It was observed that after applying both interventions, a statistically significant difference was detected between the means of total score among the two groups in relation to all physiological, psychological and behavioral symptoms P=<0.001), also the differences between the two groups were statistically significant after applying interventions in relation to severity of PMS in favor of Pilates exercises, where p=<0.001 on 8 weeks. Conclusion: it can be concluded that Pilates exercises were more effective in relieving physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms of PMS than Benson relaxation technique. Recommendation: it can be recommended that The curricula of basic nursing / midwifery education as well as continuing education could be enriched with , correct , relevant evidence – based information about non-pharmacological management of PMS. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Cohort study, 2026 Are diet and lifestyle linked to premenstrual symptoms in college students? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗