Introduction : Previous studies have revealed that doing exercise plays an important role in anxiety reduction. Due to the high rate of anxiety in diabetic patients, the present study has been designed with the aim to investigate the effects of Pilates exercises on anxiety reduction in patients with of diabetes type II.

  Methods : In this clinical trial study, 70 women suffering from diabetes type 2 were randomly divided into an experimental group (35 patients) and a control group (35 patients). The instrument of data collection was a demographic questionnaire and Spilberger questionnaire. First, the rate of anxiety in both groups was measured before the intervention. Then, certain modified Pilates exercises were carried out in the experimental group twice a week over a period of 8 weeks. During the same period, the control group received conventional medications ( Glibenclamide and Metphormin tablets and a diabetic diet ). Afterwards, anxiety in both groups was measured again. Finally, the collected data were analyzed through SPSS 17.0 software and descriptive statistics, paired t-test and co-variance test in the level of p≤0.05.

  Results: The mean rate of anxiety before and after intervention in the experimental group were 6.67 ± 8.86 and 50 ± 7.65. respectively with a statistically significant difference (p=0.001) Eta Squared indicates that Pilates exercises can reduce anxiety in the experimental group by 32.4 percent comparing with the control group.

  Conclusion: Findings of the present study reveals that Pilates exercises help reduce anxiety in patients with diabetes and can be used as a complementary treatment.