A Therapeutic Exercise Program Improves Pain and Physical Dimension of Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adults

Abstract

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. This is a 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-wk stabilization exercise therapy program, 60 mins/wk, whereas the control group did not exercise, with a preintervention and postintervention 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, X 2 , 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-wk 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.

Association between Non-Restorative Sleep and Quality of Life in Chinese Adolescents

“…The effects of age, medical conditions, and exercise habits in Chinese youths’ health and well-being could be applicable to other contexts [ 16 , 18 , 20 ]. Interestingly, in a multivariable analysis, being a former smoker or current drinker were non-significant predictors of a poorer QOL, which was inconsistent with prior research indicating that smoking or drinking had inverse effects on adolescents’ QOL [ 21 , 34 ].…”

“…Given the possible extra-covariance among participants recruited from the same school, linear mixed-effects regression was used to adjust for clustering by school. Previous research suggested individuals’ sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics including age [ 20 ], gender [ 18 ], medical problems [ 17 ], parents’ educational levels [ 18 , 19 ], parents’ occupations [ 21 ], exercise habits [ 16 ], smoking and alcohol consumption [ 21 ] were associated with adolescents’ QOL. Therefore, these variables were included as covariates in this study.…”

“…Examining the relationships between QOL and its predictors may yield critical strategies to improve individuals’ QOL. Previous research revealed that regular exercise [ 16 ], no medical problems [ 17 ] and parents with higher educational levels [ 18 , 19 ] were positively associated with adolescents’ QOL, whereas older age [ 20 ], female gender [ 18 ], unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and alcohol consumption [ 21 ], having an unemployed father [ 21 ] and sleep disturbance [ 22 ] were negatively associated with adolescents’ QOL.…”

“…Although these studies mentioned above provide evidence that NRS affects QOL [ 1 , 8 , 9 ], the majority of them only measured one or two facets of QOL or did not adjust for other covariates, such as exercise, smoking and drinking habits, which were associated with QOL [ 16 , 21 ]. Hence, the relationship between NRS and QOL may fluctuate.…”

Does Pilates effect on depression status, pain, functionality, and quality of life in university students? A randomized controlled study

“…There is a lot of evidence to support the validity of VAS. The cutoff points were used to comment scores: no ache (0‐4 mm), mild ache (5‐44 mm), moderate ache (45‐74 mm), and severe ache (75‐100 mm) 16 …”