Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the efficacy of a physiotherapy program for relieving symptoms of primary
dysmenorrhea among Mexican women.
Study design
This was a single-center, prospective, experimental, parallel group, randomized controlled
trial. This cross-sectional study was performed at the Universidad Politécnica de
Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. Female patients with primary dysmenorrhea, age of 18–22
years; pain intensity from 4 to 10 cm on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); and sedentary lifestyle were included. The patients
were then randomized to receive a physiotherapy program for three months or to no
intervention program. The physiotherapy program consisted of overall stretching, specific
stretches, Kegel exercises, jogging, and relaxation exercises. Patient evaluations
of symptomatology and pain intensity were recorded basally and throughout for three
menstrual periods. The data were entered into a computerized database for descriptive
and inferential statistical analyses.
Results
A per-protocol population of eighty three women with a mean age of 20.2 ± 1.8 years underwent the physiotherapy program, and seventy seven participants with
a mean age of 20.4 ± 1.2 years received no treatment. The participant assessments of pain on the VAS during
the second and the third menstrual cycles demonstrated a significant reduction in
the treatment group (p < 0.05) compared with the control group.
Conclusions
The results showed that strengthening, stretching and muscle relaxation techniques,
in addition to jogging, are effective for reducing dysmenorrheic symptoms when they
are regularly performed.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 17, 2015
Accepted:
August 6,
2015
Received in revised form:
July 17,
2015
Received:
May 16,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
