Prevalence, Severity of Dysmenorrhea and Effectiveness of Structured Physiotherapy Interventions Among Doctor of Physical Therapy Students (DPTDYS)
11 de agosto de 2026 atualizado por: Imran Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan
Prevalence, Severity of Dysmenorrhea and Effectiveness of Structured Physiotherapy Interventions Among Doctor of Physical Therapy Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
**Trial Summary**
Primary dysmenorrhea is a common condition among young women that can significantly impair daily functioning and health-related quality of life. This single-center randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a 12-week structured physiotherapy program in 360 female Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students with primary dysmenorrhea. Participants were randomly allocated to either a structured physiotherapy intervention (n=180) or a control group receiving conventional treatment (n=180). The intervention consisted of supervised sessions three times per week, including general stretching, pelvic stretching, aerobic jogging, Kegel exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation. The primary outcome was the change in dysmenorrhea symptoms over three consecutive menstrual cycles, while secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. Compared with the control group, participants receiving structured physiotherapy demonstrated significant reductions in all assessed dysmenorrhea symptoms and significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perception, and vitality. Greater dysmenorrhea severity was associated with poorer quality-of-life scores, and structured physiotherapy independently predicted clinical improvement. The findings indicate that a structured multimodal physiotherapy program is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for reducing the severity of primary dysmenorrhea and improving selected domains of health-related quality of life in female DPT students.
Visão geral do estudo
Status
Concluído
Condições
Intervenção / Tratamento
Tipo de estudo
Intervencional
Inscrição (Real)
360
Estágio
- Não aplicável
Contactos e Locais
Esta seção fornece os detalhes de contato para aqueles que conduzem o estudo e informações sobre onde este estudo está sendo realizado.
Locais de estudo
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Multan Khurd, Paquistão, 66000
- Muhammad Institute of Medical and Allied Sciences Multan
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Critérios de participação
Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.
Critérios de elegibilidade
Idades elegíveis para estudo
- Adulto
Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis
Não
Descrição
Inclusion Criteria:
- Inclusion criteria were: regularly menstruating female DPT students aged 18-30 years; self-reported and clinically confirmed primary dysmenorrhea (pain commencing within 1-2 days of menstrual onset with no identifiable pelvic pathology); history of primary dysmenorrhea for at least the past four cycles with pain intensity ≥4 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Females who had sedentary lifestyle (engaging in <25 minutes of physical activity thrice weekly) and showed willingness to provide informed consent to participate in the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Students with irregular menstrual cycles or secondary dysmenorrhea or diagnosed conditions such as endometriosis, amenorrhea, or other gynecological disorders; use of medications that could influence menstrual pain or cycle regularity, neuromuscular or chronic degenerative diseases; physical limitations impeding exercise participation; pregnancy or postpartum status during the study period. Not wanted to take part in the research.
Plano de estudo
Esta seção fornece detalhes do plano de estudo, incluindo como o estudo é projetado e o que o estudo está medindo.
Como o estudo é projetado?
Detalhes do projeto
- Finalidade Principal: Tratamento
- Alocação: Randomizado
- Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
- Mascaramento: Solteiro
Armas e Intervenções
Grupo de Participantes / Braço |
Intervenção / Tratamento |
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Experimental: Structured Physiotherapy Program
Participants received a structured physiotherapy program in addition to conventional treatment for 12 weeks.
The intervention consisted of supervised sessions three times per week, with each 50-minute session including general stretching, specific pelvic stretching (Billig protocol), moderate-intensity aerobic jogging, Kegel exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation.
The program was designed to reduce dysmenorrhea symptoms and improve health-related quality of life.
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Participants received a supervised structured physiotherapy program three times per week for 12 weeks in addition to conventional treatment.
Each 50-minute session consisted of five components: general stretching, specific pelvic stretching (Billig protocol), moderate-intensity aerobic jogging (60-70% of age-predicted maximum heart rate), Kegel exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation.
The intervention was designed to reduce the severity of primary dysmenorrhea and improve health-related quality of life.
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Comparador Ativo: Conventional Treatment
Participants received conventional treatment for primary dysmenorrhea according to routine clinical practice for 12 weeks.
They continued their usual daily activities and did not participate in the structured physiotherapy program.
This arm served as the active comparator to evaluate the effectiveness of the structured physiotherapy intervention.
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Participants received conventional medical treatment for primary dysmenorrhea according to routine clinical practice throughout the 12-week study period.
Conventional management included the use of standard analgesic or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications as prescribed by the treating physician.
Participants continued their usual daily activities and did not receive the structured physiotherapy intervention.
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O que o estudo está medindo?
Medidas de resultados primários
Medida de resultado |
Descrição da medida |
Prazo |
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Pain Intensity (VAS)
Prazo: 12 weeks
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The main outcome measure was pain intensity during menstruation, which was evaluated via Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
The Visual Analogue Scale consists of a horizontal line 10 cm long with the labels of "no pain at all" and "unbearable pain" on both sides.
Participants were asked to draw a line on the scale showing how much pain they felt and this number was measured in centimeters from "no pain" side of the scale.
Numbers between 1-3 cm reflected mild dysmenorrhea, numbers between 4-7 cm reflected moderate dysmenorrhea, while numbers from 8-10 cm reflected severe dysmenorrhea
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12 weeks
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Medidas de resultados secundários
Medida de resultado |
Descrição da medida |
Prazo |
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Dysmenorrhea Severity (MSS)
Prazo: 12 weeks
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Multidimensional Scoring System (MSS) was employed as a secondary outcome measure to classify the dysmenorrhea in a multidimensional manner according to the level of abdominal pain, activity restriction, and requirement for painkiller drugs.
Dysmenorrhea is classified by MSS into three levels depending upon the severity of abdominal pain, activity restriction, and need of taking analgesic drugs, namely mild, moderate, and severe.
MSS score was determined at the baseline and end of each menstrual cycle throughout the trial period, as it was for the VAS scoring procedure.
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12 weeks
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Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-36)
Prazo: 12 weeks
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The secondary outcome measure for the assessment of HRQoL involved the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey Questionnaire.
SF-36 is the most commonly used and validated generic instrument for assessing HRQoL, with high reliability and responsiveness that have been shown through numerous studies.
The instrument includes 36 questions, divided into eight scales: physical functioning, role limitations because of physical difficulties (role-physical), bodily pain, general health perceptions, vitality, social functioning, role limitations because of emotional problems (role-emotional), and mental health.
Scores for each scale range from 0 to 100; the higher scores are, the better HRQoL patients have.
Patients underwent SF-36 at baseline (week 0) and week 12 (endpoint) of the study in order to evaluate the impact of the structured physiotherapy intervention on their HRQoL.
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12 weeks
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Colaboradores e Investigadores
É aqui que você encontrará pessoas e organizações envolvidas com este estudo.
Investigadores
- Investigador principal: Imran A Khan, PhD, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan
- Diretor de estudo: Maliha K Khan, DPT, MSPH, Muhammad Institute of Medical and Allied Sciences Multan
Publicações e links úteis
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Publicações Gerais
- Itani R, Soubra L, Karout S, Rahme D, Karout L, Khojah HMJ. Primary dysmenorrhea: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment updates. Korean J Fam Med. 2022;43(2):101-108. 2. Iacovides S, Avidon I, Baker FC. What we know about primary dysmenorrhea today: a critical review. Hum Reprod Update. 2015;21(6):762-778. 3. Karout S, Soubra L, Rahme D, Karout L, Khojah HMJ, Itani R. Prevalence, risk factors, and management practices of primary dysmenorrhea among young females. BMC Womens Health. 2021;21:392. 4. Dar M, Khan A, Shah SS, Aleem A, Jaber AAS, Hussain M, Khan GM. Evaluation of health-related quality of life of female students suffering from primary dysmenorrhea: findings of a cross-sectional study from Pakistan. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1467377. 5. Kamel DM, Tantawy SA, Abdelsamea GA. Experience of dysmenorrhea among a group of physical therapy students from Cairo University: an exploratory study. J Pain Res. 2017;10:1079-1085. 6. Kannan P, Claydon LS. Some physiotherapy treatments may relieve menstrual pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review. J Physiother. 2014;60(1):13-21. 7. Matthewman G, Lee A, Kaur JG, Daley AJ. Physical activity for primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;219(3):255.e1-255.e20. 8. Tsai IC, Hsu CW, Chang CH, Lei WT, Tseng PT, Chang KV. Comparative effectiveness of different exercises for reducing pain intensity in primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sports Med Open. 2024;10:62. 9. Proctor M, Farquhar C. Diagnosis and management of dysmenorrhoea. BMJ. 2006;332(7550):1134-1138. 10. Marjoribanks J, Ayeleke RO, Farquhar C, Proctor M. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(7):CD001751. 11. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988. 12. Faul F, Erdfeld
Datas de registro do estudo
Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.
Datas Principais do Estudo
Início do estudo (Real)
2 de fevereiro de 2026
Conclusão Primária (Real)
30 de junho de 2026
Conclusão do estudo (Real)
30 de junho de 2026
Datas de inscrição no estudo
Enviado pela primeira vez
7 de agosto de 2026
Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ
7 de agosto de 2026
Primeira postagem (Real)
12 de agosto de 2026
Atualizações de registro de estudo
Última Atualização Postada (Real)
13 de agosto de 2026
Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade
11 de agosto de 2026
Última verificação
1 de agosto de 2026
Mais Informações
Termos relacionados a este estudo
Palavras-chave
Outros números de identificação do estudo
- MNSUAM/05/28/IAK
Plano para dados de participantes individuais (IPD)
Planeja compartilhar dados de participantes individuais (IPD)?
NÃO
Informações sobre medicamentos e dispositivos, documentos de estudo
Estuda um medicamento regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA
Não
Estuda um produto de dispositivo regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA
Não
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