Abstract

Aims: Musculoskeletal disorders are increasing day by day. The prevalence is higher in females, workers, and people with heavy jobs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of combined and separated strengthening- stretching exercise programs on the frequency of affected areas and improving pain scores in a defense industry complex. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, all male workers in a defense industry production complex were studied (n=132). The samples were divided into 3 groups of 44 subjects (stretching and strengthening exercise group, strengthening exercise group, strength exercise group). A stretch - strengthening program, standard questionnaires of Brief pain Inventory (BPI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used during this study. The data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and parametric tests such as paired t- test, ANOVA and Tukey test by spss16 software. Results: The ANOVA test results showed no significant differences between the groups prior to treatment. After the treatment, there was a significant difference between groups in Brief pain Inventory variables (P=0.017) and VAS (P=0.019). All the amounts of changes, before and after treatments in all the three groups were significantly different in the Brief pain Inventory variables and the VAS. The largest amount of changes was seen in group 1. The most painful areas were respectively related to the knees, back and neck. Conclusion: Combined strengthening- stretching exercises are effective in reducing the number of affected areas in the musculoskeletal system and improving pain scores.