• Wong JJ
• Laframboise M
• Mior S

• Adult
• Affiliation / Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC). Division of Graduate Education and Research
• Affiliation / Private Practice
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Orillia
• Affiliation(G) / Canada / Ontario / Toronto
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Dysmenorrhea / therapy
• Female
• Low Back Pain
• Manipulation, Spinal
• Musculoskeletal Pain
• Open Access Document
• Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Objective: The purpose of this case study was to report the effects of multimodal therapy as an adjunct to oral contraceptives on pain and menstrual symptoms in a patient with primary dysmenorrhea.

Clinical Features: A 27-year old nulligravid and nulliparous woman presented with low back pain, thigh pain, and menstrual symptoms associated with primary dysmenorrhea. Multimodal therapies (spinal manipulation, clinic-based transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and heat applied at home) were delivered over 3 menstrual cycles. Outcome measures included pain (visual analogue scale) and menstrual symptoms (Menstrual Distress Questionnaire) from baseline to follow-up. She continued to take her oral contraceptives throughout the study period.

Intervention and Outcome: For both low back and thigh pain, the patient reported clinically important differences in average pain and worst pain after 2 and 3 months from baseline. There were no clinically important differences in current pain, best pain, or menstrual symptoms at follow-up. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusion: Some of this patient’s dysmenorrhea symptoms responded favorably to multimodal therapy over 5 months. The authors observed important short-term reductions in low back and thigh pain (average and worst pain intensity) during care.

Author keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Manipulation, Spinal; Manipulation, Chiropractic; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; Combined Modality Therapy

Author affiiations: JJW, SM: Division of Graduate Studies, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ML: Private Practice, Orillia, Ontario, Canada

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; Click on the above link for free full text. PubMed Record