Physiotherapeutic Approach to Superficial and Deep Dyspareunia in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain: Comparison Between In-person and Telehealth Care.

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Face-to-face treatment: Massage in the direction of the muscle fibers with a pressure tolerable for the patient for 5 minutes. The treatment will be carried out in the outpatient clinic by a previously trained physiotherapist.

Telecare: Massage in the direction of the muscle fibers with a pressure tolerable for the patient for 5 minutes. The treatment will be carried out by the patient at home and guided by a previously trained physiotherapist via teleconsultation.

Study summary

Adequate sexual function is considered an important factor in satisfaction and overall quality of life for both men and women. It is estimated 16% to 40% of women suffer from some form of sexual dysfunction, which is currently considered a public health problem and its investigation is recommended because it causes significant changes in the quality of life of these women. Among the painful disorders, genitopelvic pain, which includes dyspareunia, vaginismus and vulvodynia, dyspareunia stands out, which involves the appearance of pain during or after sexual intercourse, directly affecting physical health, as well as sexual and mental well-being. Among the treatment techniques for dyspareunia in women with chronic pelvic pain, there is the Thiele massage, which provides an inhibitory effect on muscle tension caused by spasms, relaxing, stretching and relieving coital pain. In this sense, we know that physiotherapy treatment has an important role in improving pain symptoms, since musculoskeletal dysfunction may be present in women with dyspareunia, which makes it relevant to verify whether the approach via telecare would have the same effectiveness as the in-person technique that has scientific proof, since through telecare the woman would not be exposed to the risks that are inherent to going to an outpatient clinic, it could cover more women and this would also bring a greater cost-benefit to the unified health system.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Visual Analog Scale (EAV) — From acceptance to participate in the study until the end in 10 weeks in the reassessment.
  The visual analog scale (VAS) for pain is the most widely used unidimensional scale in clinical practice due to its feasibility, speed, and clinical application. It measures pain from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater pain.

Trial sites (1)

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