PT for Vulvar vestibulitis pain...improved 51%

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From Pub Med

Dee

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J Sex Marital Ther. 2002 May-Jun;28(3):183-92

Physical therapy for vulvar vestibulitis syndrome: a retrospective study.

Bergeron S, Brown C, Lord MJ, Oala M, Binik YM, Khalifé S.

Department of Sexology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C. P. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8. bergeron.sophie@...

This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness of physical therapy in relieving painful intercourse and improving sexual function in women diagnosed with vulvar vestibulitis. This syndrome is a frequent cause of premenopausal dyspareunia and is characterized by a sharp, burning pain located within and limited to the vulvar vestibule (vaginal entry) and elicited primarily via pressure applied to the area.

Participants were 35 women with vulvar vestibulitis who took part in physical therapy treatment for an average of 7 sessions. We conducted telephone interviews to assess whether physical therapy or other subsequent treatments impacted on pain during intercourse and sexual functioning. Length of treatment follow up ranged from 2 to 44 months, with a mean of 16 months.

Physical therapy yielded

a complete or great improvement for 51.4% of participants,

a moderate improvement for 20.0% of participants, and

little to no improvement for the other 28.6%.

Treatment resulted in a significant decrease in pain experienced both during intercourse and gynecological examinations; it also resulted in a significant increase in intercourse frequency and levels of sexual desire and arousal.

Successful patients were significantly less educated than nonsuccessful patients.

(COMMENT: HUH, ummmmmm? I wonder what they mean by that? Especially 'significantly' less educated? In other words the more educated you are, the less likely you are to be helped or maybe to believe that PT will help or maybe PT doesn't like educated people and only likes those ignorant of the facts? It seems to point to; IF one questions it, it won't work. I'm sorry but that line makes no sense at all to me. It would be a good Q to ask of the first author as I see an email address for her above. (if only I had the time.) Dee T)

Findings demonstrate that physical therapy is a promising treatment modality for dyspareunia associated with vulvar vestibulitis.

PMID: 11995597 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

source:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11995597?ordinalpos=6 & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[Guest guest]

<(COMMENT: HUH, ummmmmm? I wonder what they mean by that? Especially 'significantly' less educated? In other words the more educated you are, the less likely you are to be helped or maybe to believe that PT will help or maybe PT doesn't like educated people and only likes those ignorant of the facts? It seems to point to; IF one questions it, it won't work. I'm sorry but that line makes no sense at all to me. It would be a good Q to ask of the first author as I see an email address for her above. (if only I had the time.) Dee T) > I have a few thoughts about this. The first is that when the word "significant" or "significantly" is used in a journal they usually mean it in the statisical sense. Statistical signifigance = a high probability that whatever is being studied was effected by the variable vs. chance alone. So...using that definiation it would mean that the # of women and the difference in education isn't

just coincidence, it's a factor in the outcome. The study author would probably not be able to tell you what it means, as correlation doesn't equal causation (ie-just because something seems to be affected by something doesn't mean that it causes the effect). However, I am wondering if it has to do with the placebo effect and if the author is SUGGESTING that pt has a placebo effect. I think placebo is a huge put-down to what I consider to be the healing power of the mind. And...MANY vulvodynia treatments are in the same range as placebo...most meds (elavil, neurontin) have a slightly LESS than placebo effect...so what does THAT suggest??? I know PT worked for me, and that's what matters, and that estrace helped. I don't need some study author suggesting it's "placebo" and trying to take away something that has helped MANY women. My .02. Lindsey

[Guest guest]

Thank YOU Lindsey...

Your opinions were the same as what I was thinking. I knew what they were trying to say and definitely didn't like it or agree. I do know what the term significant means in those studies that statistically it makes a difference and to me they did mean it was a factor in the outcome and that's what made no logical sense to me (as if it was a placebo effect was the gist of it (to me at least)

Just as I read many many years ago how it was the less educated people who were the ones 'statistically' who got HPV (or Herpes)....grrrrrr

Thanks again hon for commenting on that. Dee