Exercise Therapy and Electrotherapy as an Intervention for Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD) is characterized by painful cramps before or during menstruation. It is generally treated with nonpharmacological methods. However, with the advancement of research and the passage of time, physiotherapy plays an increasingly important role in treating patients with PD. Electrotherapy and exercise therapy are conservative methods to treat PD. Alternative methods to minimize reliance on medicinal-based treatments are the need of the hour. This review aims to determine the efficacy of exercise-based therapies and electrotherapy modalities in treating PD. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standards have been used in the present systematic review and meta-analysis. Cochrane, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched to facilitate the same. The articles from 2011 to 2021 were included in this review. The quality of the review was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The visual analog scale was taken as a measure of pain intensity in the meta-analysis, and other outcomes have been included in the systematic review discussed. A total of 15 publications have been included, with a meta-analysis of 7. All included studies were of high quality (PEDro ≥ 5), and demonstrated the efficacy of exercise-based therapies and electrotherapy modalities in treating pain in females with PD. This review aims to check the impact of exercise and electrotherapy in females suffering from PD.