Effects of pilates method in post-COVID-19 syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Recent research has investigated the effects of the Pilates Method (PM) for individuals affected by post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS-19). However, to date, no review has compiled such findings. In this sense, this study sought to review the effects of the PM on PCS-19. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by peers in the PubMed/MEDLINE, PEDro, SciELO, LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library databases, in addition to research on Google Scholar and the CAPES repository. Studies published until September 2023 included only randomized clinical trials, with patients diagnosed with PCS-19, and which included PM-based exercises. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager software version 5.4 (Cochrane Collaboration) with a random effects model. Of the 1510 references initially found, only three met the selection criteria, covering a total of 113 patients with PCS-19. The meta-analysis indicated that PM was effective in improving quality of life in PCS-19, but not in lung function parameters. Other favorable secondary outcomes were also reported, such as improvement in thoracic excursion, functional capacity, biochemical parameters and pain intensity. However, this must be considered with caution due to the high heterogeneity and low methodological quality of the included studies. In short, the PM promotes benefits in physical health and quality of life in PCS-19. However, these results should be interpreted with extreme caution due to the limited literature on the subject, variability in outcome measures, and lack of important methodological details.