Why You Feel Stiff After Travel — And What the Research Says Can Help

Pilates has been around for over a century, but it’s only in the last decade that the peer-reviewed research has really caught up. What the studies show may surprise you — this isn’t just a flexibility exercise. The evidence now spans pain reduction, balance, mental health, and even falls prevention.

An umbrella review published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport examined 27 systematic reviews with meta-analyses and found evidence linking Pilates to benefits across a wide range of conditions — from musculoskeletal and circulatory diseases to mental health and sleep disorders (Xu et al., 2023). While the quality of evidence varied, the breadth of conditions studied reflects how seriously the research community now takes Pilates as a therapeutic intervention.

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Disability and Rehabilitation found that Pilates was effective in reducing low back pain, and more effective than either no exercise or other exercise programmes. The authors concluded that Pilates is a safe tool that can be applied to most populations experiencing low back pain (Patti et al., 2024).

A 2025 systematic review in Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine extended these findings beyond the back, showing that Pilates reduced pain and disability and improved quality of life in people with musculoskeletal conditions in the extremities — including shoulders, knees, and ankles (de Oliveira et al., 2025).

For chronic neck pain specifically, a 2025 systematic review published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders found that Pilates improved pain, disability, and range of motion when compared to other exercise interventions (Lytras et al., 2025).

A large meta-analysis published in Physiotherapy, covering 39 randomised controlled trials, found that Pilates had a moderate positive effect on balance, strength, flexibility, and functional capacity in older adults — and a large effect on reducing the risk of falls (de Campos Júnior et al., 2021). The research showed improvements in both static and dynamic balance, which are critical for maintaining independence and preventing injury.

A separate 2023 meta-analysis published in Healthcare confirmed these findings, with robust evidence that Pilates training programmes improve both static and dynamic balance in older adults (Sampaio et al., 2023).

A meta-analysis of controlled trials published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that Pilates had a positive effect on mental health outcomes, including reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety (Fleming & Herring, 2018). While the authors noted the studies were small, the direction of evidence was consistent — and aligns with the broader research showing that mind-body exercise supports psychological wellbeing.

Much of the research has been conducted using mat-based Pilates — no reformer or studio equipment required. The 2021 meta-analysis in Physiotherapy included studies using both mat and equipment-based Pilates and found benefits across both formats. This means the core benefits of Pilates — improved posture, core stability, flexibility, and pain reduction — are accessible to anyone with enough floor space.

The research positions Pilates not as a trend but as one of the most well-evidenced movement practices available. It addresses the things that matter most for long-term physical health: core strength, spinal mobility, balance, pain management, and functional

movement. And because it’s low-impact, scalable, and requires no equipment in its mat-based form, it’s accessible to a wide range of people — whether you’re managing an injury, sitting at a desk all day, or looking to stay mobile as you age.