Abstract:

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Connective Tissue Massage (CTM) and Clinical Pilates exercises (CPE), which is a manipulative method, upon the quality of life in women who have gone through menopause. Method: 40 post-menopausal women aged 50-70 years diagnosed with menopause and met the condition of not having a menstrual cycle for at least 12 months, were included in the study. Randomly divided into two groups, all participants were evaluated with the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Measurement (MSQLM) just prior to the start of the application. Group 1 (n=20) received six sessions of connective tissue massage for three weeks, two sessions per week. In Group 2 (n=20), clinical pilates exercises were applied as two sessions per week for four weeks, a total of eight sessions. After the end of the treatments, all participants were reassessed in terms of outcome with the MSQLM. Results: As a result of the assessment, while there was a statistically significant difference between the preliminary and final measurements of both the patients in the pilates exercise group and the patients in the connective tissue massage group seen, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study determined that pilates exercises or cooperative tissue massage applied to women in the post-menopausal period increased their quality of life. Keywords: Menopause, quality of life, exercise, pilates, cooperative tissue massage

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