THE EFFECTS OF KINESIOLOGICAL TAPING AND AEROBIC EXERCISE IN WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA: A RANDOMİZED SINGLE-BLIND CONTROLLED TRIAL

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of kinesiological taping (KT) and aerobic exercise (AE) on pain, menstrual attitude, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in women with primary dysmenorrhea (PD).Methods: Forty-five participants diagnosed with PD were randomly assigned into three groups: KT group (n=15), AE group (n=15), and control group (n=15).The KT group received taping twice a week over 3 weeks, starting from the 14 th day of the menstrual cycle until the end of the cycle.The AE group performed moderate-intensity AE for 45 minutes twice a week for 3 weeks, following the same schedule.The control group received no intervention.Participants were evaluated on the 14 th day of the cycle and after 3 weeks using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) for pain, the Menstrual Attitude Scale (MAS) for attitude, the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) for depression, and the short form-36 (SF-36) for QoL.Results: Within-group analyses showed significant improvements in MAS and SF-36 in the KT group, and in MPQ in the AE group (p<0.05).No significant changes were observed in the control group (p>0.05).Time*Group interaction analysis revealed a significant improvement in MPQ favoring the AE group and in MAS favoring the KT group (p<0.05). Conclusion:These findings suggest that KT may improve menstrual attitude, while AE may reduce pain in women with PD.