Songul OZTURK, Meltem KAYA
Annals of Clinical and Analytical Medicine - 2026;17(4):390-397
Aim: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) negatively affects women's physical and psychological well-being. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a clinical Pilates-based exercise program on physical fitness, PMS symptoms, and kinesiophobia in women with PMS. Methods: Forty women with PMS were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=20) or control group (n=20). Both groups received general wellness advice for 8 weeks, while the experimental group additionally participated in supervised clinical Pilates sessions twice weekly. Outcomes included body composition, flexibility (sit-and-reach test), functional capacity (6-Minute Walk Test), core endurance (McGill tests), PMS severity (Premenstrual Syndrome Scale), and kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia). Measurements were performed at baseline and after 8 weeks. Results: Significant improvements were observed in the experimental group for body composition, functional capacity, core endurance, PMS severity, and kinesiophobia (p<0.05). Flexibility improved in both groups, with greater improvement in the experimental group (p<0.001). Conclusion: A clinical Pilates-based exercise program significantly improves physical fitness, reduces PMS symptoms, and decreases kinesiophobia in women with PMS. Clinical Pilates may be considered an effective non-pharmacological intervention in PMS management.
