Comparison of the Effects of Pilates and Aerobic Exercise on Pain, Menstruation Symptoms, and Balance in Women with Dysmenorrhea = Comparison of the Effects of Pilates and Aerobic Exercise on Pain, Menstruation Symptoms, and Balance in Women with Dysmenorrhea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: Menstruation is associated with menstrual symptoms like pain and balance problems which have an impact on the quality of life. Pilates increases pelvic stability and reduces menstrual pain by inducing abdominal muscle contraction. This study was done to eval-uate the effects of Pilates on menstrual pain, symptoms, balance, and quality of life when compared to aerobic exercise.
Methods: Thirty-nine women with menstrual pain were randomly divided into the Pilates group (n=13), aerobics group (n=13), and control group (n=13). The Pilates group performed lumbar-pelvic stabilization exercises, while the aerobic group ran on a treadmill. The control group did not undergo any intervention. The experimental groups exercised for four weeks (12 sessions) and did not exercise dur-ing menstruation. The Y-balance test was performed on the second day of menstruation to evaluate dynamic balance. The questionnaires administered immediately after menstruation were the visual analog scale (VAS), Korea Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and the modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ). The paired t-test was used to compare the effect of exercise within the three groups and a one-way analysis of variance was used to compare between groups.
Results: VAS and MEDI-Q scores significantly decreased in the Pilates group after 4 weeks compared with those in the aerobic and con-trol groups. Moreover, ODI and Y-balance scores increased in the Pilates group compared with those in the aerobic and control groups (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The Pilates stabilization exercises are effective and help in improving menstrual pain, balance and other menstrual symp-toms assessed through ODI, and MEDI-Q, compared to aerobic exercises.