Continuing improvement of chronic pelvic pain in women after short-term Mensendieck somatocognitive therapy: results of a 1-year follow-up study

• Published in: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2008-01, Vol.199 (6), p.615.e1-615.e8
• Main Authors: Haugstad, Gro K., MHS, PhD, Haugstad, Tor S., MD, PhD, Kirste, Unni M., MD, Leganger, Siv, PsD, Wojniusz, Slawomir, MHS, Klemmetsen, Inger, BHS, Malt, Ulrik F., MD, PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic Disease; chronic pelvic pain; Cognitive Therapy - methods; Female; Follow-Up Studies; general health questionnaire-30; Gynecology - methods; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Medical sciences; Mensendieck somatocognitive therapy; Middle Aged; motor function; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pain Measurement; Pelvic Pain - diagnosis; Pelvic Pain - psychology; Pelvic Pain - therapy; Physical Therapy Modalities; Probability; Reference Values; Risk Assessment; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome; visual analog score of pain
• ISSN: 0002-9378; 1097-6868
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.06.019

Objectives Chronic pelvic pain is a common source of disability among women in the western world. Here we report that 3 months of Mensendieck somatocognitive intervention in chronic pelvic pain patients was followed by continued improvements of outcomes at 1-year follow-up in a randomized, controlled study design. Methods Forty women with chronic pelvic pain unexplained by pelvic pathology were randomly assigned to 2 groups: (1) standard gynecologic treatment and (2) gynecologic treatment plus somatocognitive therapy aimed at reducing physical pain by changing posture, movement, and respiration patterns. A standardized Mensendieck test (SMT) of motor function (assessing posture, movement, gait, sitting posture, and respiration), a self-rating questionnaire assessing psychologic distress and general well-being (GHQ-30) and a visual analog score of pain (VAS) were obtained before, after 90 days of treatment and 1 year after inclusion. Results Patients treated by standard gynecologic treatment/supervision did not improve significantly at 1-year follow-up in any of the test modalities. By contrast, those who in addition received somatocognitive therapy had improved scores for all motor functions and pain, as well as GHQ-30 scores for coping, and anxiety-insomnia-distress. Conclusion Mensendieck somatocognitive therapy combined with standard gynecologic care improves psychologic distress, pain experience, and motor functions of women with chronic pelvic pain better than gynecologic treatment alone. The effect lasted and even further improvement occurred 9 months after treatment.