EFEITOS DO MÉTODO PILATES NOS PARÂMETROS DE FORÇA E FUNÇÃO PULMONAR: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA / EFFECTS OF THE PILATES METHOD IN FORCES AND LUNG FUNCTION PARAMETERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

The Pilates Method has become popular in recent decades, and its benefits for clinical practice need to be investigated. This study aimed to verify the effects of Pilates training programs on respiratory muscle strength and pulmonary function. Systematic review in PubMed, LILACS, Cochrane-Library, PEDro and Science Direct databases, according to the words of the Medical Subject Heading Terms (MeSH) dictionary for PubMed and Cochrane-Library, suitable for the other databases. The following were included: Pilates Method intervention studies; individuals of any age group; both sexes; healthy or not; assessed by spirometry, manovacuometry or other pulmonary function tests considered relevant; minimum follow-up of 4 weeks. At the end 10 studies were considered eligible. There was a significant improvement in Inspiratory Muscle Strength (MIP) parameters in 7 studies, which included healthy individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Regarding Expiratory Muscle Strength (MEP), the Pilates Method alone showed a significant improvement in MEP parameters in 7 studies in healthy individuals of both sexes and different age groups. Pulmonary function variables Peak expiratory flow (PEF) and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) showed a significant increase in 1 study and 2 studies, respectively, both in healthy young women. We can conclude that Pilates Method has been shown to positively influence the MIP, MEP, PEF, and MVV parameters in healthy individuals of both sexes and different age groups. Additionally, it was able to promote an improvement in MIP in patients with CKD and CF.