The effect of aerobic exercises among women with mild and moderate irritable bowel syndrome: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort. Although patients with IBS are commonly recommended to increase their physical activity, after reviewing the literature, it was found that no study has assessed the effect of aerobic exercises on the severity of symptoms and quality of life in patients with IBS. Therefore the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of aerobic exercises with treadmill on the severity of symptoms and quality of life among women with mild and moderate IBS.

METHODS

Twenty women with mild and moderate IBS were randomly assigned into two groups of treadmill exercise (10 participants) and control (10 participants). The treadmill group had six weeks (30 min, three sessions per week) of aerobic exercises on treadmill. The control group continued their usual daily activities.

RESULTS

After six weeks of aerobic exercises on a treadmill a significant improvement was observed in the severity of IBS symptoms (p ≤ 0.001) and IBS quality of life (p = 0.001) in the treadmill group compared to the control group. Also in the treadmill group, the severity of symptoms and quality of life demonstrated a significant improvement after the intervention compared to before the intervention (p ≤ 0.001). No significant difference was observed in the severity of symptoms and quality of life in the control group before and after the study (p > 0.05).