Effect of Pilates Exercises on Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is challenging, calling for therapeutic strategies other than pharmacologicaltreatment. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on IBS symptoms and severity, frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and body weight in women with IBS.Methods: Sixty women aged 20–45 with IBS were randomized into two groups: a study group (n = 30) receiving an 8-week Pilates program (2 sessions/week) plus dietary advice and a control group (n = 30) receiving dietary advice only. Inclusion criteria included moderate-to-severe IBS diagnosed via Rome IV criteria. The outcome measures were the IBS severity scoring system (IBS-SSS), the frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements, the modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS), hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) scale, and body weight (BW).Results: The study group showed more significant improvements than the control group in total IBS-SSS score (Cohen d = 0.73, p <0.001), frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements (Cohen d = 0.50, p <0.001), total MFIS score (Cohen d = 0.74, p < 0.001), anxiety (Cohen d = 0.56, p < 0.001), and depression (Cohen d= 0.64, p <0.001). The study group also showed a significant reduction in body weight compared to baseline (p < 0.05). The control group showed significant improvements in all outcomes, except body weight, compared to baseline (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Adding Pilates to dietary advice significantly enhances IBS outcomes, bowel movement frequency, fatigue, anxiety, and depression compared to dietary advice alone. However, dietary advice alone also yielded notable benefits.