The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports a study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggesting that Pilates is “as effective for easing lower back pain as a general exercise program.”
In an Australian study, 44 patients were assigned “to a Pilates program and 43 people to a general exercise regimen for six weeks. … After six weeks both groups showed substantial improvements in pain and disability compared with the beginning of the study.”