Evaluation of the effectiveness of self-massage in dysmenorrhea/ Ocena efektywności automasażu w redukcji bólu menstruacyjnego kobiet

Abstract

Background: Primary menstrual pain affects approximately 45-95% of women between 20-25 years of age. A non-invasive method in reducing menstrual pain by relaxing muscle tension is a massage. It brings the structural tension to normal levels and restores correct blood flow in the pelvic region. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of a self-massage in reducing the primary menstrual pain. Materials and methods: Out of 180 female students, 34 women aged 19-30 were qualified for the study with the use of a survey. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire and visual analog pain scale (VAS) were used for the assessment before and after the therapy. Women in the experimental group performed tensegrity selfmassage a few days before the onset of bleeding for two menstrual cycles. Results were analyzed using Student’s t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Applying the self-massage statistically proved to significantly reduce the perception of pain (p=0.001) and the number of days with pain (p=0.007) in the experimental group. Within this group, the difference was noted in all participants except one. In addition, a third measurement was taken in order to assess the duration of the effect. The result of the average pain and number of days of pain after the extension was higher than in the second evaluation, but significantly lower than before the experiment. The significance was in accordance with the evaluation of pain, p=0.002 and number of days p=0.03. Evaluation of the quality of sleep in the experimental group was significantly better (p = 0.04) than before treatment. Conclusions: Self-massage reduces primary menstrual pain in women and can be used as an assisted form of self-therapy. It improves the quality of sleep.