Improvements in Adolescents With Back Pain After Pilates
Improvements in Adolescents With Back Pain After Pilates
The main physical condition factor related to back pain and mobility among adolescents are
 trunk endurance and hamstring extensibility. The Pilates Method (PM) can be used as a
 specific exercise technique to train trunk endurance and hamstring extensibility, but there
 is little evidence regarding its effect in adolescents with a history of back pain. The
 objective of this study is to determine whether Pilates is effective for improving the trunk
 endurance and hamstring extensibility of adolescents with a history of back pain and to
 determine the differences between the sexes. The sample was composed of 52 students with a
 mean age of 14.44 ± 0.7 years who had suffered back pain during the past year. They were
 distributed into the Pilates Exercise Group (PEG, n = 26) and the Control Group (CG, n = 26).
 The Pilates programme was conducted over 6 weeks. For measuring trunk flexion and extension
 endurance, the bench trunk curl (BTC) test and the Sorensen (SOR) test were used,
 respectively. Hamstring extensibility was measured with the toe touch (TT) test. After the
 Pilates intervention, either the whole sample or males and females separately improved
 significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in the BTC, SOR or TT test.
Back pain during the adolescent years is a precursor to chronic back pain in adulthood. The
 prevalence of back pain among schoolchildren is growing across the world, and it is similar
 to that of the adult population. Back pain is the first cause of disability in the world.

 The main physical condition factor related to back pain and mobility among adolescents are
 trunk endurance and hamstring extensibility. The Pilates Method (PM) can be used as a
 specific exercise technique to train trunk endurance and hamstring extensibility, but there
 is little evidence regarding its effect in adolescents with a history of back pain.

 The objectives of this study was: a) to analyse the effect of a Pilates programme on trunk
 endurance and extensibility in adolescents with a history of back pain and b) to determine
 the differences between the sexes.

 The present research was a 6-week randomised controlled trial in which adolescents with a
 history of back pain were randomly assigned to a Pilates-based exercise group (PEG; n = 26)
 and a control group (CG; n = 26).

 The sample was composed of 52 students with a mean age of 14.44 ± 0.7 years who had suffered
 back pain during the past year. They were distributed into the Pilates Exercise Group (PEG, n
 = 26) and the Control Group (CG, n = 26).

 The Pilates exercise programme was implemented over 6 weeks, with 2 sessions/week (55
 minutes/session). Adolescents assigned to the CG did not receive any structured exercise
 programme; they just attended their usual Physical Education sessions.

 The Pilates programme was conducted by the Physical Education teacher, who was certified in
 Pilates training. The Pilates programme began at the basic level, incorporating more
 difficult principles and exercises gradually.

 For measuring trunk flexion and extension endurance, the bench trunk curl (BTC) test and the
 Sorensen (SOR) test were used, respectively. Hamstring extensibility was measured with the
 toe touch (TT) test. After the Pilates intervention, either the whole sample or males and
 females separately improved significantly (p ≤ 0.05) in the BTC, SOR or TT test.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  having had a history of back pain last year

 -  being physically active in school physical education sessions

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  presenting any musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiological, metabolic or rheumatic
 alteration

 -  missing more than one session of the programme (91.66% attendance)