ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2022
The effect of Aqua Stretching exercises and Pilates on pain, function and spine posture in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a randomized controlled trial.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effectiveness of different exercise mode interventions in improving disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a network and dose-dependent meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of the best exercise mode and dose study for improving spinal health.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Pooled it
- One-year effectiveness of long-term exercise therapy in people with axial spondyloarthritis and severe functional limitations.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2025Trial
- Reporting of exercise interventions in spondyloarthritis research: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026Article
- The Benefits of Practicing Physical Activity in the Aquatic Environment on Health and Quality of Life.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Ivarmacitinib improves patient-reported outcomes across multiple domains in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis: aFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Effects of Pilates exercises on spine deformities and posture: a systematic review.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of exercise intervention in relieving symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis: A network meta-analysis.PloS one · 2024Article
- The Effects of Pilates Exercise Training Combined with Walking on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Functional Capacity, and Disease Activity in Patients with Non-Radiologically Confirmed Axial Spondylitis.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAqua Pilates and Aqua Stretch exercises are different and new methods for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Aqua Stretch and Aqua Pilates interventions in the treatment of pain, function, and posture of the spine in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.
methodsForty patients participated in this study who were randomly allocated into Aqua Stretch, aqua Pilates, and control. The experimental groups received four 60-min training sessions each week for six weeks. However, the control group had only its routine drug treatment (NSAIDs & Anti TNF). Pain with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), function with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and 40-m walking test (MWT), quality of life with ankylosing spondylitis quality of life (ASQoL), and posture of the spine with the Spinal Mouse were evaluated. Evaluations were performed before and after the interventions. Repeated measure ANOVA was employed to determine the main and interaction effects.
resultsAqua Stretch and Aqua Pilates had a significant effect on pain (Aqua-Pilates: P = 0.0001; Aqua-Stretch: P = 0.0001), BASFI (Aqua-Pilates: P = 0.01; Aqua-Stretch: P = 0.02), 40-MWT (Aqua-Pilates: P = 0.006; Aqua-Stretch: P = 0.0001) and ASQoL (Aqua-Pilates: P = 0.01; Aqua-Stretch: P = 0.001), spinal range of motion (ROM) (Aqua-Pilates: P = 0.0001; Aqua-Stretch: P = 0.0001) at a similar ratio. However, the control group did not present any improvement in these factors (P > 0.05). Moreover, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) revealed that the Aqua Stretch group performed better than the Aqua Pilates group in terms of VAS, ASQOL, and 40-MWT factors.
conclusionsAqua Stretch and Aqua Pilates had statistically the same effect on improving pain, function, quality of life, and spinal ROM, while MCID results revealed that the Aqua Stretch group performed better than the Aqua Pilates in terms of VAS-ASQOL-40-MWT. Trial registration It is notable that local ethics committee approval was obtained (IR.KUMS.REC.1399.1137), and the study was registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT; IRCT20190426043377N3; registered on 22/05/2021, https://fa.irct.ir/user/trial/56058/view ) and patient recruitments were started on 06/07/2021.
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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.