The Effect of Relaxation and Stretching Exercises on Pain and Quality of Life in Women With Primary Dysmenorrhea

NCT ID: NCT05960695

Last Updated: 2025-09-11

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

20 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-05-30

Study Completion Date

2023-08-30

Brief Summary

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The study aimed to examine the effect of stretching and relaxation exercises on pain and quality of life in women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Detailed Description

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While dysmenorrhea is a frequent gynecologic condition that affects women of reproductive age, young women are generally unaware of it. Dysmenorrhea is divided into two main types based on its pathophysiology:

* Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), is menstrual discomfort coupled with regular ovulatory cycles and a defined physiological explanation. Adolescents and young adults are the most affected.
* Secondary dysmenorrhea (SD), is defined as menstruation discomfort caused by a disease (endometriosis, fibroids, adenomyosis, pelvic adhesions, endometrial polyps, pelvic inflammatory disease) or the use of an intrauterine contraceptive device.

Dysmenorrhea is a type of persistent, cyclic pelvic pain that can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, exhaustion, back pain, and dizziness. In studies conducted on university students in Turkey in 2009 and 2010, 87.7% and 72.7% (respectively) of the students reported that they had pain during the menstrual period.

The release of prostaglandins into the uterine tissue is assumed to be the cause of dysmenorrhea. As a result, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the usual first-line treatment for dysmenorrhea. Oral contraceptives, acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, and vitamin B1 are among the additional treatments that have been suggested.

It has been suggested that exercise can help with dysmenorrhea. Physical exercise has been suggested as a medical treatment for the treatment of dysmenorrhea and related symptoms by several writers. Billig was one of the first to advocate for exercise as a treatment for dysmenorrhea; he devised a set of stretching exercises and found a reduction in dysmenorrheic symptoms.

H1: There is a significant difference in pain and quality of life in the group with stretching and relaxation exercises compared to the group with stretching exercises.

Conditions

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Primary Dysmenorrhea

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The volunteers who met the inclusion criteria were divided into 2 groups. The patients have informed about 2 different groups, but they were not told which of them. Stretching exercises were taught regardless of which group the patients were in. In addition, relaxation exercises were taught to the patients in the stretching+relaxation group.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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The Experimental Group

The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. Among the stretching exercises, iliopsoas, adductor, and hamstring stretches will be taught.

Deep breathing exercises will be taught as relaxation exercises. Participants will repeat the stretches 3 times a week with 3 repetitions of each stretch for 20 seconds.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Stretching

Intervention Type OTHER

Among the stretching exercises, iliopsoas, adductor, and hamstring stretches will be taught. Participants will repeat the stretches 3 times a week with 3 repetitions of each stretch for 20 seconds. The exercises will be done online by the physiotherapist.

The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. The Control group will be given only stretching exercises.

Relaxation

Intervention Type OTHER

Diaphragmatic breathing will be taught as a relaxation exercise. The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. The Control group will be given only stretching exercises.

The Control group

The Control group will be given only stretching exercises. Among the stretching exercises, iliopsoas, adductor, and hamstring stretches will be taught.

Participants will repeat the stretches 3 times a week with 3 repetitions of each stretch for 20 seconds.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Stretching

Intervention Type OTHER

Among the stretching exercises, iliopsoas, adductor, and hamstring stretches will be taught. Participants will repeat the stretches 3 times a week with 3 repetitions of each stretch for 20 seconds. The exercises will be done online by the physiotherapist.

The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. The Control group will be given only stretching exercises.

Interventions

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Stretching

Among the stretching exercises, iliopsoas, adductor, and hamstring stretches will be taught. Participants will repeat the stretches 3 times a week with 3 repetitions of each stretch for 20 seconds. The exercises will be done online by the physiotherapist.

The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. The Control group will be given only stretching exercises.

Intervention Type OTHER

Relaxation

Diaphragmatic breathing will be taught as a relaxation exercise. The experimental group will be given both stretching and relaxation exercises. The Control group will be given only stretching exercises.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* participants in the study voluntarily.
* participants in ages between 18-25 years of age.
* participants have a sedentary lifestyle.
* participant's pain intensity of more than 40 mm during the menstrual period according to the VAS.

Exclusion Criteria

* using regular drugs like NSAIDs
* presence of SD
* having an irregular menstrual cycle
* presence of chronic disease.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

25 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Yeditepe University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Pelin Zöhre, Pt

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Yeditepe University

Locations

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Yeditepe University

Istanbul, Ataşehir/İstanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status

Countries

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Turkey (Türkiye)

References

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Ferries-Rowe E, Corey E, Archer JS. Primary Dysmenorrhea: Diagnosis and Therapy. Obstet Gynecol. 2020 Nov;136(5):1047-1058. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004096.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Lopez-Liria R, Torres-Alamo L, Vega-Ramirez FA, Garcia-Luengo AV, Aguilar-Parra JM, Trigueros-Ramos R, Rocamora-Perez P. Efficacy of Physiotherapy Treatment in Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 23;18(15):7832. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157832.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34360122 (View on PubMed)

Proctor M, Farquhar C. Diagnosis and management of dysmenorrhoea. BMJ. 2006 May 13;332(7550):1134-8. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7550.1134. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17060018 (View on PubMed)

Ryan SA. The Treatment of Dysmenorrhea. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2017 Apr;64(2):331-342. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2016.11.004.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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French L. Dysmenorrhea in adolescents: diagnosis and treatment. Paediatr Drugs. 2008;10(1):1-7. doi: 10.2165/00148581-200810010-00001.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18162003 (View on PubMed)

Yu A. Complementary and alternative treatments for primary dysmenorrhea in adolescents. Nurse Pract. 2014 Nov 16;39(11):1-12. doi: 10.1097/01.NPR.0000454984.19413.28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25325520 (View on PubMed)

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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ACOG Committee Opinion No. 760: Dysmenorrhea and Endometriosis in the Adolescent. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Dec;132(6):e249-e258. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002978.

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Marjoribanks J, Ayeleke RO, Farquhar C, Proctor M. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jul 30;2015(7):CD001751. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001751.pub3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Pattanittum P, Kunyanone N, Brown J, Sangkomkamhang US, Barnes J, Seyfoddin V, Marjoribanks J. Dietary supplements for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Mar 22;3(3):CD002124. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002124.pub2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27000311 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/health-and-well-being

Health definition according to World Health Organization

Other Identifiers

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Pyeditepe

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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