Prenatal Pilates and Postpartum Ligamentous Laxity

January 21, 2026 updated by: Selcan Suicmez, Ankara Medipol University

Impact of a Prenatal Pilates Program Continued Until Childbirth on Postpartum Ligamentous Recovery: a Longitudinal Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Pregnancy induces hormonal and biomechanical adaptations that increase ligamentous laxity, which may persist into the postpartum period and contribute to joint instability, pain, and functional limitations. Although prenatal Pilates has been shown to prevent the progression of ligamentous laxity during pregnancy, its effects on postpartum musculoskeletal recovery remain unclear. This longitudinal follow-up of a randomized controlled trial evaluated ligamentous recovery at 6 weeks postpartum in women who participated in a structured prenatal Pilates program continued until childbirth, compared with women receiving standard prenatal care. Postpartum ligamentous laxity, generalized joint hypermobility, and activity limitations related to pelvic girdle pain were assessed using objective and clinical measures. The study aimed to determine whether prenatal Pilates facilitates early postpartum ligamentous recovery and supports functional outcomes during the early postpartum period.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
42

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Altındağ
      • Ankara, Altındağ, Turkey (Türkiye), 06050
        • Ankara Medipol University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consisted of postpartum women aged 18-35 years who were 6th week after delivery and who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. Women with known cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases, and those who had participated in structured physical activity programs prior to enrollment were excluded. These criteria were applied to ensure a homogeneous sample and to minimize potential confounding factors related to pre-existing health conditions or prior exercise exposure.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged between 18-35 years
  • In the 6th week of post-partum
  • Voluntary participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases
  • Prior participation in structured physical activity programs

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Pilates Group
Participants in the Pilates group attended supervised 60-minute sessions twice weekly for eight weeks, led by a certified physiotherapist trained by the Australian Institute of Pilates and Physiotherapy.
Control Group
The control group received standard prenatal care and ergonomic advice, and did not participate in any exercise training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Ligament laxity
Time Frame: 10 minutes
The anterior tibial translation of the knee will be considered as representative of the anterior laxity of the knee of women measured with an arthrometer ® (bilateral examination repeated 3 times on each knee).The degree of laxity will be evaluated thanks to the international classification IKDC.
10 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Generalized joint hypermobility
Time Frame: 2 minutes
Generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) was assessed using the Beighton scoring system, which consists of five bilateral and unilateral maneuvers. Each positive test scored one point, with a maximum score of 9. A score of ≥5 indicated GJH.
2 minutes
Physical activity level
Time Frame: 7 days
Participants' physical activity was monitored using the Omron HJ-321-E pedometer (Omron Healthcare, Japan), which detects vertical oscillations and stores up to seven days of data.
7 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ankara Medipol University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 15, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AnkaraMedipolU-FTR-2025-223

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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