Therapeutic Role of Dorsal Stretching Exercise Interventions on Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms in Adolescent Females

Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) poses a considerable challenge to the physical, emotional, and behavioural health of adolescent girls. This research was undertaken to assess the efficacy of dorsal stretching exercises in alleviating PMS-related symptoms. Methods: A six-week quantitative experimental study was conducted in Mappedu, Tiruvallur, involving 60 adolescent girls aged between 11 and 21 years, selected using purposive sampling. Participants were evenly allocated into experimental and control cohorts. Data were gathered using a structured demographic survey and the Premenstrual Syndrome Severity Questionnaire. The experimental group engaged in dorsal stretching exercises twice daily for a duration of two weeks, whereas the control group received only health education. Results: Before the intervention, most participants in both groups reported moderate to severe PMS symptoms. Post-intervention analysis revealed that 63.3% of the experimental group experienced only mild symptoms, in contrast to just 6.6% in the control group. A statistically significant reduction in mean PMS severity scores was noted in the experimental group (from 35.2 to 23.5; t = 13.96, P < 0.001), while the control group showed no meaningful change (t = 1.06, P > 0.05). Additionally, dietary habits were found to be significantly correlated with PMS severity (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Dorsal stretching exercises proved to be highly effective in mitigating the intensity of premenstrual symptoms among adolescent girls. The integration of such simple, non-pharmacological interventions may offer a practical and accessible approach for managing PMS symptoms within this demographic.