Effectiveness of a Swiss Ball Training Program on Quality of Life Among Women During the Climacteric Period.

Background The climacteric period is a transitional stage in a woman's life characterized by hormonal, physical, psychological, and functional measures that could negatively impact quality of life. Common symptoms include vasomotor disturbances, reduced muscle strength, decreased flexibility, impaired mobility, pelvic floor dysfunction, and psychological distress. Non-pharmacological interventions, particularly exercise-based programmes, have been progressively suggested for managing climacteric symptoms. Swiss ball training is a form of instability-based exercise that enhances core muscle activation, balance, flexibility, and neuromuscular coordination. Nevertheless, there is little information about its effectiveness in improving quality of life and functional outcomes among climacteric women. The aim to evaluate the efficiency of a Swiss ball training programme on quality of life among women during the climacteric period. Methodology This was a comparative study carried out in and around Karad throughout the span of an annual period. A total of 72 eligible women aged 40-60 years who had experienced three or more climacteric symptoms for at least six months were recruited using simple random sampling from the study population. After baseline assessment, participants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the Experimental Group (n = 36) or the Control Group (n = 36). The Oxford PERFECT score (OPS), Plank Hold Test (PHT), Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD), Sit and Reach Test, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), and Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) were used for baseline evaluations. For six weeks, the experimental group underwent a physiotherapist-supervised, structured Swiss ball training program three times a week, while the control group received standard care.  Results The participants' average age was 50.15 ± 2.86 years, and all participants were in the climacteric phase. Baseline comparisons revealed that there were no notable distinctions between the two groups (p>0.05), indicating group homogeneity. Every outcome variable indicated statistically significant benefits in the experimental group after the intervention, according to within-group analysis. Significant improvements were observed in OPS (p=0.0121), PHT (p=0.0030), HHD right (p=0.0026), HHD left (p=0.0121), Sit and Reach Test (p=0.0452), TUG (p=0.0016), MENQOL (p=0.0001), and GCS (p=0.0221). Notable accomplishments were observed in MENQOL scores (t=6.808, p=0.0001), indicating substantial enhancement in menopause-specific quality of life. Between-group post-intervention analysis revealed significant differences favouring the experimental group in PHT (p=0.0479), HHD right (p=0.0493), Sit and Reach Test (p=0.0270), TUG (p=0.0468), and MENQOL (p=0.0471). Conclusion The findings of this comparative interventional study suggest that a structured Swiss ball training programme may improve quality of life, pelvic floor muscle strength, grip strength, flexibility, and functional mobility among women during the climacteric period. Swiss ball training may be considered a useful adjunct to physiotherapy management. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the study design, relatively small sample size, and short intervention duration. Further large-scale randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety.