Effect of Knee Chest Position in Primary Dysmenorrhea- A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background and objectives: Dysmenorrhea is a painful symptom that accompanies the menstrual cycles. Although exercise is generally thought to alleviate the symptoms of menstrual pain the scientific literature displays mixed evidence. The main objective of this research was to determine the effect of knee chest position on primary dysmenorrhea. Materials and method: 30 female participants were recruited from KLE's Institute of Physiotherapy, Belgaum and randomly allocated to control and experimental group after obtaining an informed consent and clearance from the institutional ethical committee. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Moos menstrual distress questionnaire (MMDQ) were used as primary and secondary outcome measures. Control group received hot moist pack for 10 mins and the experimental group received hot moist pack (HMP) for 10 mins and knee chest position for 10 repetitions with 20 seconds hold. The intervention was carried out for 2 days beginning from the first day of menses. Outcome measures were documented using VAS on both the days pre intervention and post intervention and MMDQ on 1st day pre intervention and 2nd day post intervention respectively. Results: The results showed statistically significant reduction in VAS and MMDQ scores in the experimental group when compared to the control group with p Conclusion: Intervention with Knee chest position can be used in conjunction with HMP for reducing pain and menstrual distress in primary dysmenorrhea.