The Effect of Zumba Dance on Primary Dysmenorrhea

Effect of Zumba Exercise on Menstrual Pain in Women With Primary Dysmenorrhea

the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of practising Zumba exercise in decreasing menstrual pain in young women with primary dysmenorrhea.

primary dysmenorrhea or painful menstruation without pelvic pathology is one of the most common complaints in women's medicine. The pain begins with the onset of menstrual bleeding and lasts for 72-12 h. Pain is usually in the middle line of the highest severity. Dysmenorrhea pain is often described as cramped and intermittent. Zumba is a dance-based fitness class that originated in Colombia in the 1990s and is now extremely popular worldwide. the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of regular Zumba exercise on the severity of primary dysmenorrhea.

Inclusion Criteria:

• having regular menstrual cycles (30-35 days) and bleeding time of 3-10 days.
• history of primary dysmenorrhea(PD) which had affected daily activities in at least 50% of their cycles through the past 6 months; and pain intensity over 4 cm, based on the 10-cm visual analog scale score.
• having a pain score for PD on the visual analog scale (VAS) of 4-7 cm
• Age: 18-25 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy
• known diseases of the genitourinary system (e.g., pelvic inflammatory disease and urinary tract infections) or secondary dysmenorrhea and chronic diseases (heart disease, respiratory, kidney, blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, migraine, thyroid, anemia, nervous disorders).
• Previous Zumba fitness practice.
• irregular menstrual cycles; the use of intra-uterine devices and oral contraceptive pills.
• musculoskeletal injuries and metabolic/cardiorespiratory contraindications to physical exercise