Decreasing Dyspareunia and Dysmenorrhea in Women with Endometriosis via a Manual Physical Therapy*: Results from Two Independent Studies

Abstract

® - Patent pending AbstrAct Purpose: To assess the efficacy of a non-invasive, site-specific manual physiotherapeutic technique in ameliorating dyspareunia and dysmenorrhea, commonly associated with endometriosis, by perform- ing a retrospective and prospective analysis, respectively. Methods: Human female subjects, all surgically diagnosed with endometriosis, were enrolled in each of the studies post informed consent. Each subject underwent 20 hours of site-specific manual physi- cal therapy (Wurn Technique) designed to address adhesions and restrictions in soft tissue mobility in the abdomen and the pelvic floor. Post-test was completed 6 weeks after treatment. Evaluation incorporated outcome prediction based on Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) for analyzing the ef- fect on dyspareunia and sexual function (n=14) and quantitative differences in ratings of average pain during menstrual cycle and intercourse based on the Mankoski Pain Scale for analyzing the effect on dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia (n=18), respectively. Data was analyzed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (two-sided). results: FSFI Full Scale score showed overall statistically significant improvements (P=.001) for all domains of sexual function, inclusive of dyspareunia (P<.001) in the retrospective analyses. Mankoski Pain Scale exhibited statistically significant improvements in menstrual cycle (P<.014), dysmenorrhea (P=.008) and dyspareunia (P=.001) in the prospective analyses. conclusion: Site-specific manual physiotherapy might offer a non-pharmacologic and non-surgical alternative in the treatment of dyspareunia and dysmenorrhea in endometriosis patients. Further ran- domized, blinded, and multi-center assessment of the technique is warranted to validate the results and gauge any potential pitfalls.