Primary Dysmenorrhea and Mobilization.

June 28, 2026 updated by: ZEYNEP BETÜL BİLGİ, Medipol University

Comparison of the Structured FEMOB Mobilization Technique and the MOPEXE Exercise Model in Women With Primary Dysmenorrhea

72 women diagnosed with primary dysmenorrhea were included in the study and divided into four groups. the first group received treatment with a mobilization approach, the second group received motor imagery-focused exercises and the third group, as a electrotherapy group and fourth received no treatment was applied.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

72

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women aged 18-30 years
  • Clinically confirmed primary dysmenorrhea
  • Regular menstrual cycles during the previous six months
  • Menstrual pain intensity of ≥4 cm on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
  • Voluntary agreement to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Secondary dysmenorrhea or gynecological pathology such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Pelvic physiotherapy within the previous six months
  • Neurological, rheumatological, or serious systemic disease
  • Communication difficulties preventing participation or questionnaire completion
  • Regular use of oral contraceptives

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: CONTROL
Participants in the control group received no active treatment, exercise program, or physiotherapy intervention during the study period. They were instructed to continue their routine daily activities and not to initiate any new pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment for dysmenorrhea symptoms during the study.
Active Comparator: FEMOB
Structured multimodal mobilization (FEMOB) is a manual therapy-based mobilization protocol consisting of temporomandibular, occipitosacral, and sacroiliac joint mobilizations, abdominal myofascial release, and kinesio taping.
Other: FEMOB
FEMOB is a structured multimodal mobilization protocol consisting of temporomandibular, occipitosacral, and sacroiliac joint mobilizations, abdominal myofascial release, and kinesio taping.
Active Comparator: MOPEXE
Participants in the MOPEXE arm receive a 60-minute Pilates-based motor imagery-focused pelvic floor exercise program twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each session consists of 5 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of progressive relaxation training using the Bernstein-Borkovec method, 5 minutes of diaphragmatic and pursed-lip breathing exercises, 35 minutes of motor imagery-focused pelvic floor exercises, and a final 5 minutes of meditation. Outcomes are assessed at baseline and after completion of the 12-week intervention period.
Other: MOPEXE
MOPEXE is a Pilates-based motor imagery-focused pelvic floor exercise program. Each 60-minute session consists of 5 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of progressive relaxation training using the Bernstein-Borkovec method, 5 minutes of diaphragmatic and pursed-lip breathing exercises, 35 minutes of motor imagery-focused pelvic floor exercises, and a final 5 minutes of meditation. Sessions are delivered twice weekly for 12 weeks.
Other: Conventional treatment group
The conventional treatment arm receives TENS and hot pack application. TENS is administered with the Chattanooga Intelect Advanced Combo system at 100 Hz and 200 µs for 30 minutes using two channels and four electrodes placed over the lumbar and suprapubic regions. Hot pack application is applied to the lumbar and suprapubic regions for a total of 20 minutes.
Other: Conventional Treatment group
The conventional treatment arm receives TENS and hot pack application. TENS is administered with the Chattanooga Intelect Advanced Combo system at 100 Hz and 200 µs for 30 minutes using two channels and four electrodes placed over the lumbar and suprapubic regions. Hot pack application is applied to the lumbar and suprapubic regions for 20 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire Total Pain Score
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Pain intensity was assessed using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ). The SF-MPQ total pain score, calculated as the sum of sensory and affective pain descriptor scores, was defined as the primary outcome. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity.
12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire
Time Frame: 12 weeks

The Turkish version of the Menstrual Attitude Scale (MBI) will be applied to determine the attitudes and behaviors of the participants during the menstrual period. Menstruation attitude scale includes 5 subtitles. These subheadings are;

  1. Menstruation as a debilitating event
  2. Menstruation as a bothersome event
  3. Menstruation as a natural event
  4. Ancipitation and prediction of the onset of menstruation
  5. Denial of any effect of menstruation
12 weeks
Functional and Emotional Dysmenorrhea Scale
Time Frame: 12 weeks
This is a 14-item, 5-point Likert-type scale used to measure dysmenorrhea functionally and emotionally. There are no reverse items in the scale. The scale was developed to provide functional and emotional measurement of dysmenorrhea. As the scores obtained from the scale increase, the extent to which patients are functionally and emotionally affected by dysmenorrhea also increases.
12 weeks
Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire
Time Frame: 12 weeks
The scale consists of 22 items that inquire about menstrual symptoms and is scored on a five-point Likert scale, from never (1) to always (5). The scale, which consists of three sub-dimensions, is evaluated in the sub-dimension of 'Negative effects/somatic complaints' with items 1-13, the sub-dimension of 'Menstrual pain symptoms' with items 14-19, and the sub-dimension of 'Coping methods' with items 20-22. An increase in the mean score indicates an increase in the severity of menstrual symptoms related to the relevant sub-dimension.
12 weeks
The Menstrual Distress Questionnaire
Time Frame: 12 weeks
This is a self-reported assessment tool designed to comprehensively evaluate the physical and emotional symptoms experienced by individuals during their menstrual period. The scale consists of 25 questions, each with 5 sub-items, covering common symptoms such as abdominal pain, headache, nausea, irritability, and mood swings. Each item is scored using a Likert-type rating system to determine the frequency or severity with which the participant experiences the relevant symptom. As the total score on the scale increases, the intensity of the symptoms experienced during menstruation and their negative impact on daily life also increase. In this context, high scores indicate increased symptom severity and decreased quality of life. The scale offers a holistic assessment by encompassing both the somatic and emotional dimensions of menstruation-related symptoms.
12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Medipol University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 5, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 4, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 30, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

January 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • E-10840098-202.3.02-4605

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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