EFFECTS OF ABDOMINAL STRENGTHENING EXERCISES WITH AND WITHOUT TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA

Abstract

Primary dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological problem. Many females fail to report in medical interviews, even when their daily activities are restricted. In Primary dysmenorrhea, pain occurs in the lower abdomen before or during menstruation without other underlying diseases like endometriosis, pelvic girdle diseases, etc. Objective: In this study, we determine the effect of abdominal strengthening exercises with and without transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in patients with Primary dysmenorrhea. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four females aged 20-30 were randomly assigned to group A (abdominal strengthening exercises with TENS) and group B (abdominal strengthening exercises). Numeric Pain Rating Scale, and Oswestry Disability Index were used to measure pain and severity of symptoms. A 6 weeks treatment session, with 3 treatment sessions per week, was given to each participant. Results: Present study focused on role of regular abdominal exercises in dysmenorrhea patients. Results showed that both treatment methods, abdominal strengthening exercises with TENS and abdominal strengthening exercises have the effect on pain releif. However, former showed significant improvement in pain and reduce clot formation as compare to later one. Conclusion: Combining abdominal strengthening exercises with Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is more effective in terms of reducing pain intensity measured by numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), improving functional disability measured by Oswestry disability index (ODI), and enhancing the Women's Life Impact Due to Dysmenorrhea (WaLIDD) scale compared to using abdominal strengthening exercises alone.