The Effect of Lumbar Stabilization Exercise on Pain, Muscle Morphology and Quality of Life in Women with Chronic Menstrual Back Pain

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of lumbar stabilization exercise son quality of life, musclemorphology, and pain in women with chronic menstrual back pain. Design: Randomized controlled trialMethods: Twenty-eight women with chronic dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned to a lumbar stabilization exercise group or stretching group. Both groups exercised 3times a week for 30 minutes each session for 10 weeks. For effect analysis, quality of life was checked by SF-36, back pain was checked by Oswestry Disability Index(ODI), muscle thickness was checked usingRehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging(RUSI), and pain was checked by Visual Analog Scale(VAS). Results: As a result of SF-36, there was a significant increase in the time and interaction effect in physical function, vitality,general health, and physical pain(p<0.05). In ODI, the lumbar stabilization exercise group showed a significant decrease in timeand interaction effects compared to the stretching group(p<0.05). Core muscle thickness increased significantly compared to thestretching group in the group, time, and interaction effects(p<0.05). Back pain was significantly reduced in the group, time, andinteraction effects in the lumbar stabilization exercise group compared to the stretching group(p<0.05). Conclusions: Lumbar stabilization exercise is more effective for quality of life, muscle structure, and pain in women with chronicmenstrual pain. This result can be used as data to control back pain during menstruation and provide long-term exercise for women with chronic menstrual pain without side effects.