Effectiveness of complementary and manual therapies for symptom relieve of primary dysmenorrhea: a review of randomized control trials
Item
- Title
- Effectiveness of complementary and manual therapies for symptom relieve of primary dysmenorrhea: a review of randomized control trials
- Author(s)
- Jakubovska, I
- Abstract
- Background: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is painful menstrual cramps and is the most common gynaecological condition among women of reproductive age. About 25% to 50% of adult women and about 75% of adolescents experienced pain and other associated symptoms with menstruation in developing countries. At present, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the first-line treatment but adverse effects are not uncommon. Current studies hypothesised that exercises and manual therapies could benefit in symptoms reduction of PD. Objectives: The objective of this study is to appraise the literature of randomised control trials (RCT) published within last 10 years and to determine, whether complementary and manual therapies can relieve and/or prevent symptoms associated with primary dysmenorrhea; or whether manual therapy is having any therapeutic effect in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. Design: Structured literature review from randomized control trials published between January 2007 – July 2017. Methods: Systematic search of relevant literature was conducted on July 2017. To identify eligible studies the search was conducted using following databases: Cochrane Library, MEDLINE - PubMed, Science Direct. Boolean logic was used and filters were applied to fit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were summarized and compared against evidence of previous findings. Results: 3,927 records were found. Only 6 studies were included in the review after selection and filtering. The total of 5 treatment modalities were studied. The quality of included trials were assessed with Jadad and PEDro scores and were rated “low” and “medium” to “high” respectively with methodological issues identified. Pain was a primary outcome measured in all studies. Discussion: Relatively small sample size, low methodological quality and inadequate follow-ups caused not only risk of bias but also questions regarding evidence for efficacy of each modality studied. However, the review assessed trials with symptomatic subjects from different backgrounds potentially representative of the patient population in a clinical setting, and agreed to previous studies’ results. Conclusion: There is limited evidence regarding the effectiveness that complementary and manual therapies could have on the symptoms that occur in women with dysmenorrhea. Exercises and physiotherapy showed better results comparing to no treatment, while acupuncture and spinal manipulation is hardly effective for PD.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2018
- Date Submitted
- 25.1.2019 17:18:25
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16398
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Complementary medicine, manual therapy, primary dysmenorrhea, symptoms management
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Jakubovska, I, “Effectiveness of complementary and manual therapies for symptom relieve of primary dysmenorrhea: a review of randomized control trials”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 1, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/366