Relation of the factor to menstrual pain and musculoskeletal pain

Visceral pain, mechanisms, and implications in musculoskeletal clinical practice

The global impact of visceral pain is extremely high, representing a significant portion of all forms of chronic pain. In musculoskeletal practice, at least one-third of people with persistent noncancerous pain report recurrent abdominal, pelvic, or chest pain symptoms. Visceral pain can be felt in several different areas of the body and can migrate throughout a region, even though the site of origin does not appear to change. Traditionally, clinicians have examined musculoskeletal pain through a reductionist lens that ignores the influence of the visceral system on musculoskeletal pain. The hypothesis presented is that visceral pain has an important influence on developing and maintaining different types of musculoskeletal pain through processes within the peripheral or central nervous systems, as a result of a visceral nociceptive stimulus generated by pathoanatomical or functional alterations. The hypothesis predicts that a consideration of the function of the visceral system in musculoskeletal pain conditions will improve clinical outcomes, moving beyond a linear model and adopting a more holistic approach, especially in the more complex groups of patients.

Effects of kinesio tape application on pain, anxiety, and menstrual complaints in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized sham-controlled trial

AIM

To investigate the effects of kinesio tape (KT) application on pain, anxiety, and menstrual complaints in women with PD and compare this application with control and sham tape (ST).

METHODS

Fifty-one women with PD were randomized into three groups: KT, ST, and control groups. No tape application was performed in the control group. KT was applied on the sacral and suprapubic regions with the ligament technique in the KT group, while it was applied on the trochanter major with no technique in the ST group. Pain, anxiety level, and menstrual complaints were assessed before and after the applications.

RESULTS

The decreases in pain, anxiety levels, and some menstrual complaints after the application were higher in the KT group than those in the other two groups (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

KT application seems to be an effective method in decreasing pain, anxiety level, and some menstrual complaints in women with PD.

Sensitivity of the fasciae to sex hormone levels: Modulation of collagen-I, collagen-III and fibrillin production

Although it is now recognized that women suffer from myofascial pain to a greater extent than men, and that the muscular fasciae can respond to hormonal stimuli, thanks to the expression of sex hormone receptors, how the fasciae can modify their structure under hormonal stimulation is not clear. In this work, an immunocytochemical analysis of collagen-I, collagen-III and fibrillin were carried out on fibroblasts isolated from human fascia lata after in vitro treatment with various levels of sex hormones β-estradiol and/or relaxin-1, according to the phases of a woman's period (follicular, periovulatory, luteal, post-menopausal phases and pregnancy). This study demonstrates for the first time that fascial cells can modulate the production of some components of the extracellular matrix according to hormone levels, when treated with β-estradiol: collagen-I falls from 6% of positivity in the follicular phase to 1.9 in the periovulatory phase. However, after the addition of relaxin-1 to the cell culture, the production of extracellular matrix decreased and remained at the same level (1.7% of collagen-I, at both follicular and periovulatory levels of hormones). These results confirm the antifibrotic function of relaxin-1, thanks to its ability to reduce matrix synthesis. They are also a first step in our understanding of how some hormonal dysfunctions in women can cause a dysregulation of extracellular matrix production in fasciae.

Menstrual Pain: A Review of Foreign Literature

The World Health Organization estimates dysmenorrhea as the most important cause of a chronic pelvic pain. Its prevalence among adolescents and young women ranges from 40 % to 90 %, and varies, depending on age, country of residence and population density of the area. Primary dysmenorrhea is responsible for reducing the quality of life, absenteeism in the workplace or at school, refusing to participate in community and sporting events, changing of pain perception and sleep disturbance. There is evidence of its relationship with an early menarche, a family history, a length of the menstrual cycle, bad habits, poor sleep hygiene, an unbalanced diet, sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Characteristic features of a personality contribute in a certain way, making women prone to neuroticism and pain catastrophizing to be more at risk of developing dysmenorrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome, musculoskeletal pain and interstitial cystitis often accompany dysmenorrhea and respond to its treatment positively. Despite the proven validity of nonsteroidal anti­inflammatory drugs treatment there are resistant forms of menstrual pain, those make a search for alternative therapy relevant.

The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea among students and its association with musculoskeletal and myofascial pain

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between dysmenorrhea and musculoskeletal pain amongst university students aged 20-35 and the association between dysmenorrhea and the occurrence of MTrPs.

METHODS

The study comprised two stages: a cross-sectional study evaluated the association between dysmenorrhea and musculoskeletal pain and a case-control study evaluated the association between dysmenorrhea and the occurrence of MTrPs in the abdominal and pelvic area. Initially, questionnaires such as demographics, menstruation characteristics, Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), measuring the average pain during menstruation and Nordic, were distributed to female students. Twenty subjects who suffered from menstrual pain of >3 on the NPRS (ones with the highest scores) were included in the second stage as cases. An additional 20 who had not suffered from menstrual pain (NPRS ≤3) were considered controls. All 40 subjects underwent an assessment of MTrPs by two examiners blinded to each other's results and to the group allocation of the subjects.

RESULTS

We found that dysmenorrhea is a very prevalent condition among young female students. Most frequent complaints were: lower abdomen and back pain, tiredness, breast tenderness, mood changes, and an increased appetite. Pain during menstruation indicated a significant positive association with neck, low back, and hip/thigh pain during the last 12 months. The results of the palpitation conclusively showed more active MTrPs in the rectus abdominis, quadratus lumborum and paraspinal muscles in women suffering from pain during menstruation than in those who were not in pain.

CONCLUSION

Our data provide an initial basis for the inclusion of a myofascial examination when evaluating women with dysmenorrhea.

Short term effects of kinesio taping on pain and functional disability in young females with menstrual low back pain: A randomised control trial study

BACKGROUND

Menstrual low back pain (LBP) in young females can reduce daily activity and cause functional disability, while the progressive application of kinesio-taping (KT) on pain reduction and functional correction has been stated.

OBJECTIVE

This study has been designed to investigate the efficacy of the lumbar vertebral column KT in young female with menstrual LBP.

METHODS

Thirty-two young females with menstrual LBP participated in this crossover study and were assigned randomly in two separate groups. The first group received KT during their first menstrual cycle and No-KT in their next menstrual, while the other group had no KT during the first mentrual cycle and received KT during the next menstrual cycle. The primary outcome measurements included the visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, Oswestry disability index and McGill pain questionnaire score which were planned to collect at the end of the third day of the menstrual cycle.

RESULTS

Comparing pain and disability between two conditions, of menstrual cycle with KT and menstrual cycle without KT, revealed significant reduction in VAS (mean change = 1.7; 95%CI = 0.6 to 2.8; P= 0.005), McGill pain score (mean change = 20.1; 95%CI = 8.7 to 31.3; P= 0.001) and functional disability (mean change = 12.3; 95%CI = 7.2 to 17.5; P< 0.0001) by using KT during menstrual cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

Results showed that KT may effectively reduce pain and disability. The findings may support the clinical application of kinesiotaping in young females with menstrual LBP.