Evidence library · Balance and falls

Does pilates affect balance and falls in menopause? What 6 studies found

Studies of pilates in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women that measured balance and falls. 5 reported an improvement and 1 found no difference against the comparison group.

  1. A review of 5 studies totalling 143 participants, mostly postmenopausal women with fracture risk, found low-certainty evidence that Pilates improved physical function and quality of life.

    No difference foundSystematic review · 143 participants pooled · 2022PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed

  2. In postmenopausal women aged 60 and over, a 12-week Pilates program improved lower-body strength and functional flexibility versus controls, but did not improve global cognitive function.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 110 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 32 timesPubMed

  3. In a 12-week trial, 110 women over 60 doing Pilates showed better balance confidence, less fear of falling, and improved postural control than a no-exercise control group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 110 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed

  4. In postmenopausal women aged 50 to 60, Zumba training improved postural control under conflicting sensory conditions more than Pilates training.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 57 women · 2024PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed

  5. In 47 postmenopausal women, a 12 week dual-task Pilates plus cognitive stimulation program improved verbal fluency, memory, leg strength and balance compared to baseline.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 47 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed

  6. In 45 middle-aged women who had not exercised regularly, a 12 week mat Pilates program twice weekly improved body composition, core and lower limb strength, agility and balance versus no intervention.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 45 women · 12 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed

How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.

Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.

Other exercise types and balance and falls