Trial reportInternational urogynecology journal2016
Effectiveness of adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction to a Pilates exercise program: an assessor-masked randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in International urogynecology journal, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Optimizing labor duration with pilates: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of exercise on female pelvic floor morphology and muscle function: a systematic review.International urogynecology journal · 2023Pooled it
- Comparative analysis of pelvic floor muscle training and Pilates in managing urinary incontinence among postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.International urogynecology journal · 2024Trial
- The effectiveness of a Pilates exercise program during pregnancy on childbirth outcomes: a randomised controlled clinical trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Trial
- Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Outperforms Pilates in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Assessment of Female Pelvic Floor Muscles: An Integrative Review.International journal of women's health · 2025Review
- Bidirectional Relationships between Sarcopenia and Pelvic Floor Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- Low-Value Practices for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction-Choosing Wisely Recommendations from the Brazilian Association of Physiotherapy in Women's Health: Observational Study.International urogynecology journal · 2024Observational
- Pilates Method and/or Photobiomodulation Therapy Combined to Static Magnetic Field in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Efficacy of Pilates on Urinary Incontinence in Korean Women: A Metabolomics Approach.Metabolites · 2021Article
- Effect of a 12-Week Pilates Pelvic Floor-Strengthening Program on Short-Term Measures of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Study.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introduction and hypothesisThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of adding voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC) to a Pilates exercise program in sedentary nulliparous women.
methodsFifty-seven healthy nulliparous and physically inactive women were randomized to a Pilates exercise program (PEP) with or without PFMC. Forty-eight women concluded this study (24 participants for each group). Each woman was evaluated before and after the PEP, by a physiotherapist and an urogynecologist (UG). Neither of the professionals was revealed to them. This physiotherapist measured their pelvic floor muscle strength by using both a perineometer (Peritron) and vaginal palpation (Oxford Scale). The UG, who performed 3D perineal ultrasound examinations, collected their data and evaluated the results for pubovisceral muscle thickness and the levator hiatus area (LA). Both professionals were blinded to the group allocation. The protocol for both groups consisted of 24 bi-weekly 1-h individual sessions of Pilates exercises, developed by another physiotherapist who specializes in PFM rehabilitation and the Pilates technique.
resultsThe PEP+ PFMC group showed significantly greater strength improvements than the PEP group when comparing the Oxford scale, vaginal pressure and pubovisceral muscle thickness during contraction measurements at baseline and post-treatment.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that adding a voluntary PFMC to a Pilates exercise program is more effective than Pilates alone in improving PFM strength in sedentary nulliparous women.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.