383: Effects of Kinesio-taping versus connective tissue mobilisation in primary dysmenorrhea.

Topic: Clinical Science
Subtopic: Pain category (ICD-11), Acute pelvic pain, Physiotherapy

Background and Aims: Primary dysmenorrhea is a common condition in young women characterized by painful menstrual cramps without pelvic pathology, often accompanied by symptoms like nausea, fatigue, and low back pain that affect daily activities. While medications are commonly used, side effects encourage ,the use of non-pharmacological methods. Physiotherapy techniques such as Kinesio-taping (KT) and Connective Tissue Mobilisation (CTM) are increasingly applied however, limited research compares their effectiveness in managing primary dysmenorrhea.
AIM
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of KT and CTM in reducing menstrual pain and associated symptoms in females with primary dysmenorrhea.

Methods: A comparative clinical study was carried out among 40 female subjects aged 18-25 years with primary dysmenorrhea, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. The Kinesio-taping group was given standardized taping of the lower abdomen and lumbosacral area one day prior to menstruation, which was continued for three days. The CTM was given standardized manual therapy to the lumbosacral and pelvic region for 20 minutes daily for three consecutive days. Pain intensity and symptoms were measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Verbal Multidimensional Dysmenorrhea (VMD) scale, and statistical analysis was done accordingly.

Results: Both groups demonstrated noticeable and statistically significant improvement in pain and symptom scores post-intervention (p < 0.05). On comparing the results of both groups, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference in NRS (p = 0.7096) and VMD scores (p = 0.0547) post-treatment, which meant that both methods were equally effective. From a clinical standpoint, patients in the CTM group generally reported relief sooner after the treatment sessions, while patients in the KT group reported improvement a few hours after the tape was applied.

Conclusions: The Kinesio-taping and Connective Tissue Mobilisation method is an effective non-pharmacological approach for the reduction of premenstrual symptoms and menstrual pain.
The post treatment results (Unpaired T Test) for the results, NRS and VMD, in both the groups, i.e., Group A and Group B, are not statistically significant.
Thus, proving that both methods are equally effective in reducing the pre-menstrual symptoms and menstrual pain in females with primary dysmenorrhea.

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Presenting Author: Dr Avani Bhavsar (PT)
Submitting Author: Avani Bhavsar

Senior Author: Dr Amrit Kaur (PT)

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: Yes

• Dr AMRIT KAUR (PT ): MPT and PhD scholar - MVP college of physiotherapy Nashik india
• Dr Deepti N. Wadhwa PT: MPT and PhD scholar - MVP college of physiotherapy Nashik Maharashtra India