Eight-Week Pilates Program Effects on Balance, Fall Risk, and Proprioception in Visually Impaired Female Students

Vision plays a crucial role in human movement and posture control. Impaired vision can lead to significant challenges in maintaining balance and postural stability among visually impaired individuals. Various approaches have been explored to address these challenges.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of an eight-week Pilates program on posture control, fall risk, and proprioception of the knee and ankle joints in non-athlete, visually impaired female students.

A total of 22 visually impaired, non-athlete female students from Tehran voluntarily participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 12) or a control group (n = 10). The experimental group completed an eight-week Pilates program (three one-hour sessions per week), while the control group maintained their regular daily activities. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included posture control and fall risk, measured using the Biodex Stability System, as well as proprioception (position sense and kinesthesia) of the knee and ankle joints, measured with a Biodex Dynamometer. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA.

The Pilates intervention significantly improved knee position sense at 20° and 45° (P ≤ 0.05), although no significant changes were observed at 60° (P > 0.05). A significant improvement was also noted in knee kinesthesia between the two groups (P ≤ 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in the ankle position sense during dorsiflexion or plantarflexion (P > 0.05). Regarding posture control, significant improvements were observed in overall balance and anteroposterior balance in the Pilates group compared to the control group (P ≤ 0.05), while no significant differences were noted in mediolateral balance (P > 0.05). The fall risk index also showed significant improvements in the Pilates group (P ≤ 0.05).

The eight-week Pilates program positively affected posture control, reduced fall risk, and improved knee proprioception in visually impaired female students. These findings suggest that Pilates could be an effective addition to exercise programs aimed at enhancing functional performance and reducing injury risk in visually impaired individuals.