Investigation of the effects of stretching exercises on primary dysmenorhea symptoms and pain in women performing pilates

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a common gynecological condition characterized by pelvic or abdominal pain and accompanied by a range of symptoms. Primary dysmenorrhea, whose prevalence is undeniably high, is a syndrome that significantly affects women's quality of life and reduces productivity. Exercise protocols come to the fore in treatment. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of stretching exercises in addition to pilates on primary dysmenorrhea symptoms and pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. 20 women with PD were divided into two groups of 10 each: the intervention group and the control group. The intervention group performed online stretching exercises 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Evaluations were performed twice, before and after the intervention, pain was evaluated with the Visual Analog Scale, menstrual symptoms were evaluated with the Menstruation Symptom Scale, and quality of life was evaluated with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Short Form. As a result of the evaluations made before and after the treatment, statistically significant differences were observed in the pain levels and menstrual symptom scores of the participants in the intervention group compared to the control group (p<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the quality of life scores between the pre- and post-study groups (p>0.05). As a result, telerehabilitation programs including stretching exercises are a usable treatment method to reduce the severity of menstrual pain and menstrual symptoms in primary dysmenorrhea.