OBJECTIVE: To critically analyze the benefits of Pilates on health outcomes in women. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science. STUDY SELECTION: Databases were searched using the terms Pilates and Pilates method. Published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if they comprised female participants with a health condition and a health outcome was measured, Pilates needed to be administered, and the article was published in English in a peer-reviewed journal from 1980 to July 2014. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently applied the inclusion criteria to potential studies. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. A best-evidence grading system was used to determine the strength of the evidence. DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. PEDro scale values ranged from 3 to 7 (mean 4.5; median 4.0), indicating a relatively low quality overall. In this sample, Pilates for breast cancer was most often trialed (n = 2). The most frequent health outcomes investigated were pain (n = 4), quality of life (n = 4), and lower extremity endurance (n = 2), with mixed results. Emerging evidence was found for reducing pain and improving quality of life and lower extremity endurance. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of evidence on Pilates for improving women's health during pregnancy or for conditions including breast cancer, obesity, or low back pain. Further high-quality RCTs are warranted to determine the effectiveness of Pilates for improving women's health outcomes.

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