Online Clinic Pilates Exercises in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that can impair health. Obesity is considered a risk factor for diseases such as hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart diseases, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis. The prevalence of obesity is increasing all over the world. Therefore, it is very important to decide on the most appropriate treatment therapy method for the treatment of obesity. Bariatric surgery has become an accepted method in the treatment of obesity in recent years. It is the most effective and efficient treatment method in the long term for individuals with severe obesity. Exercise therapy is recommended by literature to maintain weight loss, prevent weight regain and minimize complications after bariatric surgery. However, there is no consensus on the appropriate exercise program. There is heterogeneity in the type, intensity and duration of exercise. In addition, the effect of clinical pilates exercises in the post-bariatric period has not been examined. Moreover, there is no study conducted in the post-bariatric period with telerehabilitation, which has been very popular in recent years. This study aims to reveal the effect of clinical pilates exercises on the functionality and physical fitness of post-bariatric patients. The results of our study will also contribute to the literature by revealing the effect of telerehabilitation on these patients.

Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery and are followed in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine will be included in this study. Pre-treatment evaluation of the participants will be made and then individuals will be divided into two groups as Exercise Group (EG) and Control Group (CG) with a computer-assisted randomization program. The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and a consent form will be obtained from the patients. Before the study, the purpose of the study will be explained and detailed information will be provided to the patients. CG will receive online physical activity counselling by a physiotherapist only once. EG will do online clinical pilates exercises under the supervision of a physiotherapist. The exercise program will last for 1 hour with a warm-up and cool-down period and the program will be continued twice a week for a total of 6 weeks. At the end of the treatment, individuals will be evaluated again. The primary aim is to examine the effect of online clinical pilates exercises on functionality and physical fitness in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The secondary aim is to examine the effectiveness of telerehabilitation program after bariatric surgery.