Comparative Study of the Rehabilitation Exercise 5R System and Aerobic Exercise on Postpartum Recovery: Impacts on Muscle Function and Metabolic Health.

BACKGROUND This study evaluated the effectiveness of a postpartum rehabilitation exercise using rehabilitative ultrasound imaging (RUSI) compared to an aerobic exercise and routine daily activities over a 12-week period. MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly assigned 56 postpartum women to 3 groups: Group 1 (5R system), Group 2 (aerobic exercise), and Group 3 (control). Groups 1 and 2 engaged in supervised exercise sessions twice per week over a 12-week intervention period. Outcomes included inter-rectus distance (IRD), muscle thickness, muscle strength, body composition, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and postpartum depression. RESULTS No significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for IRD (p>0.05). For rectus abdominis thickness (RAT), quadriceps thickness (QT), and gluteus maximus thickness (GMT), significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed during contraction and relaxation (p<0.05). Significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for muscle strength, including knee extension (KE), hip flexion (HF), trunk flexion (TF), and trunk extension (TE) (p<0.05). Body weight and body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly in all groups (p<0.001). Abdominal fat percentage (AFP) and FBG levels decreased only in Group 1, with a statistically significant interaction effect observed (p<0.05). No significant differences were found in the Korean version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (K-EPDS) scores (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Systematic rehabilitation exercise is important for facilitating rapid postpartum recovery. Integrating core-strengthening exercises with resistance training has been shown to be more effective than aerobic exercise alone in improving muscle thickness, muscle strength, AFP and FBG.