IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF AN ELECTROSTIMULATION SESSION ON PAIN RELATED TO PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA

• Grant number: 22/10541-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Mariana Arias Avila Vera
• Grantee: Maria Eduarda Chinotti Batista da Silva
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a gynecological condition characterized by pain in the pelvic region and lower abdomen associated with the onset of the menstrual cycle, with an annual prevalence of approximately 71.1%. It is believed that PD may be related to the development of chronic pain, as there is an association between PD and central sensitization symptoms, increased temporal summation (ST) and changes in pain inhibitory processing. One of the treatments available for PD is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). It is known that TENS is an effective method for the treatment of PD, however, it is not yet known which mechanisms (whether peripheral or central) are involved in the analgesia provided by TENS for this population. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of these mechanisms for analgesia in women with PD. This is a randomized controlled clinical trial with women aged 18 to 45 years and with PD. They will be randomized into TENSa (active TENS) and TENSp (placebo TENS) groups and all will be submitted to MCD and ST evaluations immediately before and after TENS application. In addition, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) questionnaires will be applied to assess issues related to pain catastrophizing and the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) to assess the risk of presenting central sensitization and its associated symptoms. An analysis will be performed using simple frequency and numerical percentages, in addition to the paired t test or Wilcoxon test to compare the ST and MDC before and after the application of TENS between the TENSa and TENSp groups, according to the normality of the data. Analyzes will be performed using SPSS 22.0. It is hoped, with this study, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved with the analgesia obtained after the application of TENS in women with primary dysmenorrhea.