Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38008749›Full record

ArticleBMC women's health2023

Effects of Pilates on inter-recti distance, thickness of rectus abdominis, waist circumference and abdominal muscle endurance in primiparous women.

Namee Lee, Young-Hyeon Bae, Shirley S M Fong, Wan-Hee Lee

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC women's health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06599541 (Efficacy of Hypopressive Exercises Versus Pilates in Women with Abdominal Diastasis in the Postpartum Period), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06599541 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

Efficacy of Hypopressive Exercises Versus Pilates in Women with Abdominal Diastasis in the Postpartum Period: a Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of AlcalaRan2024 to 2026Enrolled48ConditionsAbdominal DiastasisArmsHypopressive Exercise, Pilates Exercise
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Trial
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  10. Diastasis recti abdominis: A comprehensive review.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Namee Lee *Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Young-Hyeon Bae *Department of Healthcare and Public Health, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, South Korea.
Shirley S M FongDepartment of Health and Physical Education, Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China.
Wan-Hee LeeDepartment of Physical Therapy, Sahmyook University College of Health Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea. whlee@syu.ac.kr.
Sahmyook University · KREducation University of Hong Kong · HKNational Rehabilitation Center · KR

Funding

This study was supported by a grant by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea SR202106002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPilates is expected to have a positive effect on women with weakened abdominal muscles after childbirth. Pilates may have a beneficial effect on the structure and function of the abdominal muscles in pregnant women. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Pilates on inter-recti distance, thickness of the rectus abdominis, waist circumference, and abdominal muscle endurance in primiparous women.

methodsThirty-five primiparous postpartum women were assigned to either the Pilates exercise group (n = 20) or the control group (n = 15). Pilates was undertaken by the exercise group for 50 min/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks. The control group maintained their daily activities without any intervention. The inter-recti distance was measured at three locations along the linea alba, and the thickness of the rectus abdominis was measured using ultrasound. Abdominal muscle endurance was measured using a repeated 1-min curl-up test. Waist circumference was also measured.

resultsThe exercise group showed significant improvements from baseline in inter-recti distance, waist circumference, and abdominal muscle endurance (p < 0.05). The control group showed no significant improvement in these variables. Compared with the control group, the exercise group showed significantly improved performance in terms of inter-recti distance, waist circumference, and abdominal muscle endurance (p < 0.05).

conclusionsThe results of this study demonstrate that Pilates was effective in reducing inter-recti distance and waist circumference and improving abdominal muscle endurance in primiparous postpartum women. Pilates is considered an effective exercise for improving muscle structure and function in primiparous postpartum women, helping in the recovery from, and preventing, diastasis rectus abdominis.

Indexed as

Abdominal WallRectus AbdominisAbdominal MusclesFemaleHumansPostpartum PeriodPregnancyWaist CircumferenceDiastasis rectus abdominisExercisePrimiparousRectus abdominisUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID38008749
PMCPMC10680311
OpenAlexW4389055741

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.