A well-established treadmill exercise regimen could go a long way in bringing down your period pain, and also improve the quality of life, reveals a study published in the journal Contemporary Clinical Trials.
Researchers conducted a trial over a seven-month period to see how treadmill exercise benefited women suffering from primary dysmenorrhea, commonly known as period pain.
Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea, menstrual cramps or painful periods is the commonest menstrual disorder. The causes are varied. Treatment aims at providing pain relief.
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‘Women who took part in the supervised exercise regimen for seven months had significantly less pain during menstruation, a higher quality of life and improved daily functioning.’
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Women aged between 18 and 43 were asked to take part in a supervised aerobic training regime three times a week for four weeks, beginning the day after the end of their menstrual period, followed by unsupervised home exercise for six months. Their results were compared with a control group, who carried out their usual regimes.
The study found that the women who took part in the supervised exercise reported 6% less pain after four weeks and 22% less pain with continuing the exercise for an additional six months. Significant benefits of exercise were reported after the seven-month reporting period for other study measures, including higher quality of life and improved daily functioning. However, the participants did not report any increase in sleep quality following the trial.
![Painful Menstrual Periods]( "Painful Menstrual Periods")
Dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual periods can be due to primary or secondary causes.
The study is the first of its kind to examine the effect of treadmill exercise on measures such as pain intensity, sleep quality and overall quality of life.
Dr Leica Claydon-Mueller, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "Women who have painful periods often take steps to actively avoid exercise - after all when you are in pain it is often the last thing that you want to partake in.
"However, this trial demonstrated that exercise significantly reduced pain for those people taking part in the program, and they also reported reduced pain levels after four and seven months."
Dr Priya Kannan, of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, added: "The improvements in quality of life scores after seven months were noteworthy, although it was perhaps surprising that there was no significant difference in sleep quality to that of the control group.
"These multiple benefits might be considered a 'package deal' by women. The evidence supporting the use of aerobic exercise for managing pain, improving quality of life and improving daily functioning has been strengthened by the findings from this research."
Source: Eurekalert
Painful Menstrual Periods
Dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual periods can be due to primary or secondary causes.
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The study is the first of its kind to examine the effect of treadmill exercise on measures such as pain intensity, sleep quality and overall quality of life.
Dr Leica Claydon-Mueller, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "Women who have painful periods often take steps to actively avoid exercise - after all when you are in pain it is often the last thing that you want to partake in.
"However, this trial demonstrated that exercise significantly reduced pain for those people taking part in the program, and they also reported reduced pain levels after four and seven months."
Dr Priya Kannan, of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, added: "The improvements in quality of life scores after seven months were noteworthy, although it was perhaps surprising that there was no significant difference in sleep quality to that of the control group.
"These multiple benefits might be considered a 'package deal' by women. The evidence supporting the use of aerobic exercise for managing pain, improving quality of life and improving daily functioning has been strengthened by the findings from this research."
Source: Eurekalert
Benefits of Aerobic Exercises
Aerobics is a physical exercise that includes activities like dance, cycling, running, stretching and many more. Aerobic exercise can benefit your health in many ways.
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 ExerciseIt is important for us to understand the power of daily exercise. Only then can we motivate ourselves to inculcate the habit of exercise on a daily basis. | Advertisement
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