{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T09:09:56Z","timestamp":1789549796566,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol.","JFMK"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objectives: Thoracic kyphosis is a common postural condition associated with impaired functional performance, reduced balance, and lower levels of physical activity. Women may be particularly susceptible due to age-related musculoskeletal and hormonal changes. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week aquatic Pilates program on thoracic alignment, functional performance, and self-reported physical activity in women aged 55\u201365 years with thoracic kyphosis. Methods: Twenty women aged 55\u201365 years with thoracic kyphosis were randomly allocated to an Aquatic Pilates intervention group (n = 10) or a non-exercising control group (n = 10). Participants in the intervention group completed supervised aquatic Pilates sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks, while the control group maintained their usual daily activities. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included thoracic kyphosis angle measured using a DeBrunner kyphometer, the Modified Physical Performance Test (mPPT), and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). Data were analyzed using 2 \u00d7 2 mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA. The trial was registered retrospectively at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07674251). Results: A significant group \u00d7 time interaction was observed for thoracic kyphosis angle, F1,18 = 66.31, p &lt; 0.001, partial \u03b72 = 0.786), with the Aquatic Pilates group showing a reduction from 42.6\u00b0 \u00b1 3.4\u00b0 to 40.7\u00b0 \u00b1 3.1\u00b0. Significant improvements were also observed in the analyzed mPPT functional tasks (all p &lt; 0.001). PASE scores showed a statistically significant group \u00d7 time interaction (F1,18 = 9.48, p = 0.006, partial \u03b72 = 0.345), with the Aquatic Pilates group showing an increase compared to the control group. Conclusions: Participation in a 12-week aquatic Pilates program was associated with improvements in thoracic kyphosis, functional performance as assessed by the mPPT, and self-reported physical activity in women aged 55\u201365 years with thoracic kyphosis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfmk11030371","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T07:58:59Z","timestamp":1789545539000},"page":"371","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Aquatic Pilates Is Associated with Improved Spinal Alignment and Functional Performance in Women Aged 55\u201365 Years with Thoracic Kyphosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6641-0246","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paraskevi","family":"Passa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17237 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9469-0457","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vassilis","family":"Paschalis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17237 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0350-8936","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asimenia","family":"Gioftsidou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Helen","family":"Soultanakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Human and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1662","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1532-5415.2004.52458.x","article-title":"Hyperkyphotic posture predicts mortality in older community-dwelling men and women: A prospective study","volume":"52","author":"Kado","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. 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