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Not yet recruiting NCT07666919

Pilates for Sedentary Individuals

No phase Interventional Sedentary Behaviors Core Muscle Weakness

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Pilates exercise, Walking exercise.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Sedentary Behaviors, Core Muscle Weakness. Basic parameters: 18 years — 59 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Thailand
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →

Official title

Efficacy of Pilates on Core Stability and Physical Fitness Among Sedentary Individuals

Overview

The global rise in physical inactivity represents an escalating public health crisis, with the proportion of insufficiently active adults projected to reach 35% by 2030. Office workers are at the highest risk due to prolonged occupational sitting; a lifestyle factor heavily linked to various musculoskeletal disorders. While maintaining an upright posture relies on the synergistic coordination of deep core muscles, extended sitting disrupts this muscular balance, leading to chronic postural decay. Although Pilates is proven to improve core muscle thickness, enhance physical fitness, and alleviate low back pain, existing literature shows high variability in training durations (ranging from 6 to 16 weeks) and lacks definitive conclusions regarding its long-term, residual effects post-intervention. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the benefits of Pilates can be sustained once the structured training stops. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Pilates on core stability and physical fitness among sedentary individuals, providing insights into sustainable exercise interventions.

Interventions

  • Other Pilates exercise
    The 1-hour Pilates exercise program was supervised by an instructor.
  • Other Walking exercise
    The 1-hour walking exercise program was supervised by a physical therapist. Participants walked on a treadmill, where the speed was gradually increased to achieve a moderate intensity level, maintaining their heart rates within 64% to 70% of their maximum heart rate.

Primary outcome measures

  • Muscle thickness [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Muscle strength [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Muscle flexibility [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Muscle endurance [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Proprioception [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Balance [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
  • Posture [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Pain level [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]
  • Health-Related Quality of Life [Time frame: Baseline, at 4 weeks post-training, at 8 weeks post-training, at 2 weeks post-training cessation, and at 4 weeks post-training cessation.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Aged between 18 and 59 years.
  • Had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of ≥ 23 kg/m2.
  • Engaged in sedentary activities (sitting) for more than 7 hours per day.
  • Passed the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) assessment.
  • Did not currently participate in any other exercise programs or physical activities during the study period.

Exclusion criteria

  • Had visual impairments that could not be corrected with corrective lenses or glasses.
  • Had a medical history of spinal or lower extremity surgery.
  • Had medical conditions or received medications that affected balance and gait, such as neurological diseases or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
  • Pregnant during the study period.
  • Had severe pain in any part of the body (pain score ≥ 7/10).
  • Inability to follow the research procedures.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single blind
Primary purpose
Treatment

Study locations

Thailand · 1 center
  • Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University — Salaya

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07666919 · MU-CIRB 2026/290.0705

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗