Effects of Pilates exercises on the quality-of-life in patients with multiple sclerosis: A narrative review

Pilates exercise is a method of mind-body exercise used as a non-medical treatment strategy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to elicit an outcome of improved health. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the effectiveness of Pilates exercise in improving the quality of life for individuals diagnosed with MS. The present narrative review was carried out by thoroughly searching published articles using the Google Scholar search engine and the PubMed database. The search strategy was specifically designed to identify studies that investigated the impact of Pilates exercise on the quality-of-life of individuals with MS. To ensure a comprehensive search, various Boolean operators were employed, including the use of the keywords "Pilates exercise", "quality of life", and "multiple sclerosis". Initial screening of literature, using titles and abstracts followed by full-text assessments, identified six clinical studies for this review, encompassing a sample of ۱۸۷ patients with MS. Five studies concluded that Pilates exercise positively affects the quality of life among MS patients. In contrast, one study concluded that no meaningful effect can be found on the quality of life. Almost all reviewed studies supported that Pilates exercises as a clinical approach can improve the quality of life in patients with MS and other parameters related to general health conditions. Therefore, Pilates exercise as a therapeutic method can be introduced.

Keywords:

Pilates exercises , Quality of Life , Multiple Sclerosis , Nurses