Comparative efficacy of core strengthening and stretching exercises on systemic and quality-of-life symptoms in adolescent college students with primary dysmenorrhea

Background: Dysmenorrhea is one of the most common complaints among adolescents affecting the quality of life (QoL) of many women in their reproductive years resulting in absenteeism and missed classes. Prior studies had concluded that various forms of exercises are effective non-pharmacological methods of managing the pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea (PD). There is however a dearth of studies on the effect of these exercises on systemic symptoms. This study investigated the effect of core strengthening and stretching exercises on pain and systemic symptoms in undergraduate college students with PD. Materials and Methods: Thirty female college students aged 16 years and above participated in the study. The respondents' pain, systemic, and QoL symptoms were assessed using a self-administered standard questionnaire pre- and postintervention of core strengthening and stretching exercises. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (bar chart, pie chart, frequency, mean, standard deviation, and percentage) and inferential statistics (Mann–Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test) at statistically significant difference (P = 0.05). Results: There were no statistically significant (P > 0.05) differences in the values of the frequency and severity of symptoms between the two groups. There were however significant (P < 0.05) differences in the pre- and postintervention values of the systemic and QoL symptoms in the core strengthening group unlike the stretching group. Conclusion: It is concluded from this study that though both forms of exercises were effective in significantly reducing pain, core strengthening exercises appeared to have better effects in managing the systemic and QoL symptoms associated with PD.