Barre Au Sol for Chronic Back Pain

Barre au sol, a floor-based variant of ballet barre training, is less studied than mainstream Pilates, but this 2025 randomised controlled trial puts it to the test against standard core stability exercise for chronic low back pain. Thirty-six women were split into a barre au sol group, a core stability group, and a control group, each following an eight-week programme. Both exercise groups showed significant gains in trunk muscle strength and meaningful reductions in pain compared with the control group, with barre au sol performing comparably to core stability training rather than outperforming it. With a small sample and a single trial behind it, this is preliminary evidence, but it suggests barre-based training belongs in the same conversation as more established options for managing chronic back pain.