Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Nov 7;12(11):2723.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12112723.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Case-Control Study

Ana Serrano-Imedio  1   2 , Cesar Calvo-Lobo  3 , Coraima Casañas-Martin  1   2 , Alejandro Garrido-Marin  2   4   5 , Daniel Pecos-Martin  1
Affiliations

Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Women with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Case-Control Study

Ana Serrano-Imedio et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

There is limited information on myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and specific symptoms of chronic pelvic pain and, more specifically, dysmenorrhea. The objective of this study was to determine whether patients suffering from primary dysmenorrhea present alterations in mechanosensitivity and pain patterns, and greater presence of MTrPs in the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles. A case-control study was carried out with a total sample of 84 participants distributed based on primary dysmenorrhea and contraceptive treatment. The sample was divided into four groups each comprising 21 women. Data on pain, quality of life, and productivity and work absenteeism were collected; three assessments were made in different phases of the menstrual cycle, to report data on pressure pain threshold, MTrP presence, and referred pain areas. One-way ANOVA tests showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) between the groups, for the Physical Health domain and the total score of the SF-12 questionnaire, and for all the domains of the McGill questionnaire; but no significant differences were found in the data from the WPAI-GH questionnaire. Statistically significant data (p < 0.01) were found for mechanosensitivity in the abdominal area and limbs, but not for the lumbar assessment, within the group, with very few significant intergroup differences. The frequency of active MTrPs is higher in the groups of women with primary dysmenorrhea and during the menstrual phase, with the prevalence of myofascial trigger points of the iliococcygeus muscle being especially high in all examination groups (>50%) and higher than 70% in women with primary dysmenorrhea, in the menstrual phase, and the internal obturator muscle (100%) in the menstrual phase. Referred pain areas of the pelvic floor muscles increase in women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Keywords: mechanosensitivity; myofascial pain syndrome; myofascial trigger points; pain pressure threshold; primary dysmenorrhea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this study declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Linear graphs of the means completed with the error bars at 99% of the Cl, for the pain intensity variable (VAS scale) that show the differences between the groups (NDNC, NDWC, WDNC, WDWC) and the measurement moments (menstrual phase, ovulatory phase, and luteal phase).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Linear graphs of the means completed with the error bars at 99% of the Cl, for the variable pressure pain threshold (PPT) that show the differences in the different measurement zones between the groups and the measurement moments (menstrual phase, ovulatory phase and luteal phase).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the external oblique muscle.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the internal oblique muscle.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the adductor magnus muscle.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the gluteus maximus muscle.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the gluteus medius muscle.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the gluteus minimus muscle.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the quadratus lumborum muscle.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the ischiocavernosus muscle.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the bulbospongiosus muscle.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the transverse perineal muscle.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the puborectalis muscle.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the pubococcygeus muscle.
Figure 17
Figure 17
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the iliococcygeus muscle.
Figure 18
Figure 18
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the coccygeus muscle.
Figure 19
Figure 19
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the external anal sphincter muscle.
Figure 20
Figure 20
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the obturator internus muscle.
Figure 21
Figure 21
Graphical simulation of referred pain areas of the piriformis muscle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Hurtado B.G., Chillón-Martínez R., Roldán J.R., Orta-Perez M. Dismenorrea primaria y fisioterapia. Fisioterapia. 2005;27:327–342. doi: 10.1016/S0211-5638(05)73458-1. - DOI
    1. Durain D. Primary Dysmenorrhea: Assessment and Management Update. J. Midwifery Women’s Health. 2004;49:520–528. doi: 10.1016/j.jmwh.2004.08.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Latthe P., Latthe M., Say L., Gülmezoglu A.M., Khan K.S. WHO systematic review of prevalence of chronic pelvic pain: A neglected reproductive health morbidity. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:177. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-6-177. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larroy C., Crespo M., Meseguer C. Dismenorrea Funcional En La Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid: Estudio de La Prevalencia En Función de La Edad. Rev. Soc. Esp. Dolor. 2001;8:11–22.
    1. Abarca L., Molero J.M., Casimiro C. Dismenorrea. Una revisión multidisciplinaria en el contexto de la medicina basada en la evidencia. FMC. 2006;13:550–559. doi: 10.1016/S1134-2072(06)71400-1. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources