A therapeutic exercise program improves pain and physical dimension of health-related quality of life in young adults. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an exercise therapy program on pain and physical dimension of health-related quality of life for young adults with musculoskeletal pain. Design Randomized controlled single-blind trial. Fifty-seven subjects (58% women) were randomly assigned to experimental (n=28; 21.4±2.9 yrs) and control (n=29; 21.0±4.2 yrs) groups. The experimental group participated in a 9-week stabilization exercise therapy program, 60 minutes/once a week, while the control group did not exercise, with a pre- and post-intervention assessment. Primary outcome was Physical Component Summary of SF-36. Secondary outcomes were Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Visual Analogue Scale, Oswestry Disability Index, Neck Disability Index, and trunk flexor endurance test. The Shapiro-Wilk, Independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square (X2), or Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results After intervention, the experimental group improved by 3.2±4.5 points on the Physical Component Summary (p=0.01); decreased prevalence of low back pain in the last month (p=0.02) and cervical disability (p=0.02); and increased flexor trunk endurance (p=0.005). Conclusions This study confirmed that a 9-week progressive exercise therapy program can improve physical health, and reduce the prevalence of cervical disability and low back pain in the last month in young adults with musculoskeletal pain. Correspondence: Beatriz Rodríguez-Romero, Psychosocial Intervention and Functional Rehabilitation Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Medicine and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of A Coruña, A Coruña Campus, 15071 A Coruña, Spain. Tel +34981167000, Fax +34981167155. beatriz.romero@udc.es Author disclosures: Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding or grants or equipment provided for the project from any source Funding for this research, specifically for its translation, was provided by the Official Association of Physiotherapists of Galicia (Cofiga, Spain). Financial benefits to the authors None of the authors have anything to declare. Details of any previous presentation of the research, manuscript, or abstract in any form This study has never been published before. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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