Effects of Pilates Exercise on Quality of Life of Patients on Hemodialysis

It seems that using Pilates exercises can increase quality of life of patients on hemodialysis.
This study aimed to determine the effect of Pilates exercises on the quality of life of patients on hemodialysis.
For this randomized controlled clinical trial, we enrolled 60 hemodialysis patients referred to Shahid Beheshti and Akhavan hospitals in Kashan city during 2014 and 2015. The subjects were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). Demographic information and quality of life short form (KDQOL SF) questionnaires were completed by the two groups at the beginning of the study. Then, modified Pilates exercises were carried out by the experimental group three times a week over a period of eight weeks. The KDQOL SF questionnaire was completed by all participants, at the beginning and two months after completion of the intervention. Data analysis was conducted using χ2 test, independent t-test, and paired t-test on SPSS software version 16.
Mean scores of QOL dimensions before and after the intervention are presented in Table 2. There was a significant difference in QOL Dimensions of the experimental group before and after the intervention (P ≤ 0.05). Mean differences of QOL dimensions at the Beginning and two months after the Study in the two Groups showed that there are significant differences in QOL Dimensions in the two groups (P ≤ 0.05).
The findings affirmed the positive effects of the Pilates exercise on the quality of life of patients on hemodialysis.