The Pilates Method as an alternative approach to recovery in women with breast cancer: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate whether the Pilates Method is an alternative to address improvements in range of motion of the affected limb, quality of life, depression and pain in women with breast cancer. Methods: A systematic review, searching the following databases: Pubmed, Dialnet, Scielo and Web of Science. The keywords used were "cancer" "Breast" "pilates". Lymphoedema was taken as an exclusion criterion. Randomised controlled trials were selected. The PEDro scale was used as methodological quality ≥5, to give consistency to the study. Results. Sixty-nine articles were found, and, only five were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria after using the PEDro scale. From the results obtained, it is observed that the Pilates method produces significant improvements in range of motion, strength, flexibility, quality of life and pain reduction. Conclusion. The evidence shows that the Pilates method as an alternative is effective for functional recovery in women suffering from breast cancer, however, there are limitations in the study due to the limited research concerning this field.