New etiological and functional classification for female, male and childhood genital and pelvic pain

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Background: Current classifications of genital pain are obsolete or makes no functional sense for pelvic physiotherapy, and should be seriously revised. Aims: to propose a new etiological and functional classification that can be used to assess genital pain by pelvic physiotherapists, guiding treatment with objective and specific techniques for each type of pain. Method: review from Pubmed, Scielo, LILACS and PEDro databases for paper on chronic pain and genitopelvic pain. Review of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) for entries that allow the functional classification of genital pain. Results: There are muscle-type and connective-type myofascial pain, both of which can be diagnosed by the pelvic physiotherapist and treated in a specific and effective way, however further studies of these techniques are urgently needed. Conclusion: It was possible to classify genital pain into two groups regardless of age and/or gender, being type 1 muscle pain and type 2 connecting pain, both with specific treatment.