The effect exercise training by applying telerehabilitation method in healthy postmenopausal women on menopausal symptoms, life quality, depression and anxiety levels

This study was planned to examine the effect of exercise training with telerehabilitation method on menopausal symptoms, life quality, depression and anxiety levels in healthy postmenopausal women.40 postmenopausal women participated in the study and they were divided into two groups as exercise group and control group. Pilates exercises were performed in the telerehabilitation group by zoom application with the help of a physiotherapist for 60 minutes, two days a week, for 6 weeks in total. There was no intervention in the control group. Evaluations were done twice for both groups at the beginning of the study and at the end of the 6th week. Menopausal symptom levels were evaluated with the Menopausal Symptoms Assessment Scale, life quality with the Menopausal Quality of Life Scale, depression levels with the Beck Depression Scale and anxiety levels with the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. If we look at the outcome of the study, a statistically significant improvement was observed in somatic and psychological sub-parameters (p<0,05), as a result of exercise applied with the telerahabilitation method in terms of menopausal symptom levels, on the other hand there was no significant change was observed in the sub-parameter of urogenital symptoms (p=1,000). While the vasomotor, psychosocial and physical sub-parameters of the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale showed statistically positive improvement in the exercise group (p<0,05), no statistically significant difference was found in the scores of the sexuality sub-parameter (p=1,000). Likewise, it has been observed that exercises applied with the telerahabilitation method reduce the depression levels of women (p<0,05). When anxiety levels were compared, there was a significant improvement in state anxiety at the end of exercise therapy (p<0,05), while a difference was not made with exercise in trait anxiety (p>0,05). In the control group, all measured parameters were found similar at the end of the 6th week. As a result, it was stated that pilates exercise training applied with telerehabilitation method during the pandemic period has a curative effect on menopausal symptoms, life quality, depression and state anxiety levels in post-menopausal women, while it was observed that exercise did not change the urogenital and sexual problems of women in the post-menopausal period. In the light of these results, telerehabilitation and pilates exercises can be recommended as an effective method for women in the postmenopausal period during the pandemic period for the treatment of psychological and physical problems. Keywords: Telerehabilitation, postmenopause, excercise, life quality, depression, anxiety