Core exercise sebagai penanganan non-farmakologis pada perempuan dengan dismenorea primer: A systematic literature review

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33024/hjk.v20i4.3009

Authors

  • Hasna Nabilla Firdaus Program Studi Fisioterapi, Program Pendidikan Vokasi, Universitas Indonesia
  • Iman Santoso Program Studi Fisioterapi, Program Pendidikan Vokasi, Universitas Indonesia

Core Muscle Training Primary Dysmenorrhea Young Women

Abstract

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most common gynecological complaints among adolescents that significantly impairs daily activities and quality of life. As pharmacological treatment may carry risks for repeated use, non-pharmacological approaches such as exercise have gained increasing attention. Among these, core exercise has been explored as a potential intervention for reducing menstrual pain and related symptoms.

Purpose: To review studies on the effectiveness of core exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention for primary dysmenorrhea in adolescents and to identify the current state of evidence.

Methods: A literature search was conducted across the PubMed, Scopus, Crossref, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar databases, followed by screening and synthesis based on the PRISMA guideline. An initial 2,770 records were identified, and 8 studies were included in the review.

Results: The findings indicate that core exercise has a significant positive effect on primary dysmenorrhea. Most studies reported reductions in pain intensity following core strengthening or stability protocols. Several studies also demonstrated improvements in pain duration, analgesic use, back endurance, physical function, and quality of life.

Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that core exercise may be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for reducing symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea in adolescents, particularly pain intensity. However, the available evidence remains limited by variations in study design, intervention protocols, and outcome measures. Further well-designed studies with larger samples are needed to strengthen the evidence base and determine the most effective exercise protocol.

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Published

2026-07-10