The AAO Journal, 1996/09, 6(3):15-17, 29-30, type of study: ,ppt,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Free full text   (https://www.academyofosteopathy.org/assets/aaoj/AAOJ_Fall1996.pdf)

Keywords:

dysmenorrhea [38]
female [654]
menstruation [10]
OMT [3924]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3945]
pilot study [215]
pretest posttest design [240]
women [607]

Abstract:

Primary dysmenorrhea is estimated to effect up to 50 percent of menstruating women. This controlled single-subject, time-series design pilot study (N=16 subjects) was aimed to investigate the efficacy of osteopathic treatment for primary dysmenorrhea in young women (18-25 years). Using a modified McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) to objectify pain intensity, each subject was monitored during menstruation for two cycles prior to osteopathic treatment and again with each menstruation over four cycles. Each subject received a full medical, neurological and osteopathic examination prior to a series of six osteopathic treatments. Osteopathic treatment given included the following techniques: mobilization with impulse (MWI), muscle energy technique (MET), visceral, Jones Counters train and Osteopathy in the cranial field. Treatment was directed by individual subject findings as found with the full Osteopathic examination. Seventy-five percent of subjects recorded a statistically significant reduction in menstrual pain intensity (p <0.01). It was found that 100 percent of subjects had a sacral torsion, 75 percent a spinal somatic dysfunction at L5 and 62.5 percent at one or more levels Tl 0- 11-12. This pilot study supports the claim that osteopathic manipulative treatment reduces the intensity of pain felt in primary dysmenorrhea.