Effects Of Myofascial Release Versus Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea is also associated with significantly high economic burdens due to absenteeism, and 2-to-3-fold increased healthcare costs. Objective: To determine the effects of myofascial release versus pelvic floor muscle exercises in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: The study design was Randomized Clinical Trial. The study was conducted at Gynae Department of Hamza Hospital Lahore and completed ten months after the approval of synopsis. Sample size is 22, calculated by Epitool. Nonprobability convenient sampling technique was used. Females with 17-30 years of age and who fulfilled five criteria to be considered for primary dysmenorrhea were included in the study. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and  working ability, location, intensity, days of pain, dysmenorrhea (WaLIDD) Score was used as a tool. Results: Twenty-four participants with mean age of the participants was 21 ± 2.75 years while Body Mass Index (BMI) of participants was 26.23 ± 1.631. Normality of data was checked by Shapiro wilk test that showed that data was normally distributed with p value ≤ 0.05. Parametric test, paired sample t test and an independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the effects of Myofascial release and Pelvic floor muscle exercises group in between and within group. Total score of VAS and WaLIDD was measured before and after 12 weeks of intervention in between two groups. The mean difference was 5.82 in Myofascial release group and 4.3 in Pelvic floor muscle exercises group. Although there was a significant reduction in WaLIDD score in both groups after treatment, but the myofascial release group was superior to pelvic floor exercise group. Conclusions: It was concluded that myofascial release and Pelvic floor muscle exercises are effective for treatment for primary dysmenorrhea, but Myofascial release has greater effects on relieving primary dysmenorrhea Symptoms than the pelvic floor muscle Exercises after the treatment sessions