OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an exercise therapy program on pain and physical dimension of health-related quality of life for young adults with musculoskeletal pain. DESIGN: Randomized controlled single-blind trial. Fifty-seven subjects (58% women) were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 28; 21.4 +/- 2.9 yrs) and control (n = 29; 21.0 +/- 4.2 yrs) groups. The experimental group participated in a 9-week stabilization exercise therapy program, 60 minutes/once a week, while the control group did not exercise, with a pre- and post-intervention assessment. Primary outcome was Physical Component Summary of SF-36. Secondary outcomes were Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index, Neck Disability Index, and trunk flexor endurance test. The Shapiro-Wilk, Independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square (Chi2, or Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: After intervention, the experimental group improved by 3.2 +/- 4.5 points on the Physical Component Summary (p = 0.01); decreased prevalence of low back pain in the last month (p = 0.02) and cervical disability (p = 0.02); and increased flexor trunk endurance (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that a 9-week progressive exercise therapy program can improve physical health, and reduce the prevalence of cervical disability and low back pain in the last month in young adults with musculoskeletal pain.

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