Dysmenorrhea : pain, pills or physiotherapy? : a comparative review of the effectiveness of pharmacological and physiotherapy interventions in the management of dysmenorrhea

Abstract

Objective: Dysmenorrhea, an inevitable and commonly overlooked condition, has a prevalence of up to 95% in women of menstruating age (Sima et al., 2022). Despite its emotional and physical effects on quality of life, dysmenorrhea has yet to be identified as a public health priority worldwide. The aim of this dissertation was to review the effectiveness of physiotherapy and pharmacological interventions in the management of dysmenorrhea. Method: The search strategy was formulated and the research question was obtained: “Are physiotherapy interventions more effective than pharmacological interventions in managing pain from self reported dysmenorrhea?”. Keywords were identified through the PICO framework and MeSH terms, where the population (P) was menstruating individuals, the intervention (I) was physiotherapy compared (C) with pharmacological interventions, and the outcome (O) was managing pain due to dysmenorrhea. These were applied to various databases and eligibility criteria were applied. Results: A total of 6 full-text articles were retrieved – 5 randomised controlled trials and 1 systematic review and meta-analysis. Articles published in an English journal between 2011 and November 2021, and in accordance to the PICO framework were included. The PRISMA checklist was used for identification and screening of the key articles. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool was used for their evaluation. Conclusion: Physiotherapy interventions including heat, acupressure and acupuncture are more effective and associated with less side effects than pharmacological interventions. Recommendations: Local and international research in this context is still required. Integrating these results within the school curriculum and healthcare system until further research is carried out will be advantageous to those suffering from dysmenorrhea.