A Pilates Exercise Program for Improving Core Strength, Balance and Functional Autonomy in Aged Women

A Pilates Exercise Program for Improving Core Strength, Balance and Functional Autonomy in Aged Women: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is based on assess and contrast isometric and isokinetic core strength, static and dynamic balance, the number of falls, and functional autonomy in three different old women groups after a 18 weeks 1) Pilates-based structured exercise program, 2) muscular structured exercise program, and 3) nonexercising.

Real life conditions require concurrent attention-demanding tasks, increasing the risk of falling and contributing to disability. Pilates-based exercise is proposed as a combined core and mental training program grounded on learning functionally effective postural sets and motor patterns, that will provide better results than a muscular exercise program in old women trunk strength, the risk of falling, functional autonomy and other complementary physical and mental functions. This is a 30-weeks quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial in which 80 independent old women will be allocated to a Pilates-based exercise program, a muscular exercise program, and a no-exercise control group. The intervention is divided into 18 weeks of supervised exercise and a 12 weeks follow-up. Primary outcome will be isokinetic and isometric trunk and hip flexion-extension strength, static and dynamic balance, the number of falls, and functional autonomy. Secondary outcome will include body composition, habitual physical activity and a standardized gerontological evaluation composed of body composition, daily physical activity, the independence to develop basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and the cognitive, affective and social function assessment. Every item will be measured at baseline, 18 and 30 weeks.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women aged from 60 to 80 years, physically and mentally able to enroll in the exercise programs. The level of education, toxic habits, medical treatment and/or diseases that can affect musculoskeletal or cardiovascular systems, mental illness, urinary incontinence, the presence of oedema and high blood pressure will be controlled.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current or prior participation in a structured Pilates-based or muscular exercise program in the past 3 months, and visual or auditory impairments not corrected with glasses or hearing aid. Each participant will also be at least 80% compliant to the exercise.