The difference in the effectiveness of warm compress and active stretching exercise in reducing dysmenorrhea pain

Abstract

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) usually occurs at the beginning of menstruation, can be sharp, blunt, cyclic or persistent until the end of the menstrual phase and can last for several hours to one day.Objective: This study aims to determine the difference in the effectiveness of warm compresses and active stretching exercises in reducing pain in dysmenorrhoea patients.Method: The design of this study is an experimental method. Pre-test and post-test control group designs were the designs in this study. This study used 20 subjects, divided into two groups, in which the control group (n = 10) received a warm compress while the treatment group (n = 10) received an active stretching exercise. Interventions were given three times a week for four weeks. The sampling technique is simple random sampling. Pain biomarkers were measured by prostaglandin levels, while the pain was measured through a menstrual distress questionnaire (MDQ).Results: The data analysis showed no difference in prostaglandin level in the control or treatment groups. In contrast, the MDQ value shows a significant value for both the control and treatment groups, with a mean value that is more significant in the treatment group.Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that active stretching exercise is more effective at reducing pain than warm compresses in dysmenorrhea.