title: Air stacking: effects of Pilates mat exercises on muscle strength and on pulmonary function in patients with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the effects of Pilates mat exercises in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a clinical trial involving 19 CF patients recruited from either the CF Outpatient Clinic of the State University at Campinas Hospital de Clínicas or the Children's Institute of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas. All of the patients performed Pilates mat exercises for four months (one 60-min session per week). The variables studied (before and after the intervention) were respiratory muscle strength, MIP, MEP, FVC, and FEV1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the intervention, MIP was significantly higher in the male patients (p = 0.017), as were MIP and MEP in the female patients (p = 0.005 and p = 0.007, respectively). There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-intervention values of FVC or FEV1, neither in the sample as a whole nor among the patients of either gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that Pilates mat exercises have beneficial effects on respiratory muscle strength in CF patients.
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caroline Buarque
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Fernando
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Moreno
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Morcillo
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana Porto
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Zambon
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina Buarque
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: State University at Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rozov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D065187:Controlled Before-After Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D026241:Exercise Movement Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013147:Spirometry; D055815:Young Adult