Survey study, 2025

Do Pilates exercises reduce PMS symptoms better than stretching?

Yes. Women who did Pilates exercises for 12 weeks showed much better reductions in PMS symptoms than those who did stretching exercises.

Early or limited evidence 152 college girls with PMS symptoms.

What they did

Recruited 250 female college students. Of these, 152 with PMS symptoms were divided equally into two groups: 76 did Pilates exercises and 76 did stretching exercises. Both groups exercised 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Symptoms were measured before and after using a questionnaire and pain scale.

What they found

Both groups showed clear improvements in PMS symptoms. The Pilates group did much better than the stretching group in reducing symptoms.

What it means for you

Pilates may be more helpful than stretching for PMS. If you want to try exercise for PMS, Pilates might work better. The main limitation is that this is not a large study, and there was no control group that did nothing, so we cannot say how much better Pilates is than rest or other options.

152

Women with PMS

Per group

12 weeks

Duration

About the study

Original title: Effectiveness of Pilates Exercises Versus Stretching Exercise in Reducing Premenstrual Syndrome among College Girls
Authors: Harina, Senthil Kumar S, Karthika Ramalingam
Journal: Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - An International Journal
Year: 2025
Study design: Survey study
Participants: 76
What was tested: Pilates exercises versus stretching exercises, 3 times per week for 12 weeks.
Open access: Yes
Read the paper: doi.org/10.37506/0j4vdf46

Topics

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)Pain and headache Exercise and yoga Students and academic performance Adolescents and young people

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