Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation for endometriosis-associated pain: A retrospective study

Effect of a Multimodal Supervised Therapeutic Exercise Program on Quality of Life, Pain, and Lumbopelvic Impairments in Women With Endometriosis Unresponsive to Conventional Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of "Physio-EndEA", a multimodal nine-week supervised exercise intervention, on quality of life, pain, and lumbopelvic impairments in women with endometriosis unresponsive to conventional therapy.

DESIGN

Parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Outcomes were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and at 1 year.

SETTING

Two Public University Hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

This trial included 31 women with endometriosis (N=31) randomly allocated to "Physio-EndEA" group (n=16) or control group (n=15). Four participants dropped out of the study for causes unrelated to the intervention.

INTERVENTIONS

The "Physio-EndEA" program consisted of a 1-week lumbopelvic stabilization learning phase followed by an 8-week phase of stretching, aerobic, and resistance exercises focused on the lumbopelvic area. It was sequentially instructed and supervised by a trained physiotherapist (with volume and intensity progression) and adapted daily to the potential of each participant. Control group received the usual treatment stipulated by their gynecologist.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was quality of life. Secondary outcomes were pain intensity, pressure pain thresholds, pain-related catastrophic thoughts, abdominal and back strength, lumbopelvic stability, and muscle architecture.

RESULTS

Adherence rate was 90.6% and mean (±standard deviation) satisfaction was 9.44±0.73 out of 10. No remarkable health problems were reported during the trial. In comparison with controls, the quality of life was improved post-intervention and at 1 year in the Physio-EndEA group with large effect sizes (d>0.80). This group also evidenced: a reduced intensity of dyspareunia, catastrophic thoughts; an increase in pelvic, lumbar, and distal pressure pain thresholds; increases in abdominal and back strength and lumbopelvic stability; and increased thickness of transversus abdominis (right side) and width of lumbar multifidus (left side).

CONCLUSION

A 9-week program of multimodal supervised therapeutic exercise is a feasible and effective intervention to improve QoL in women with endometriosis. This program also offers benefits in terms of pain/sensitization and lumbopelvic impairments.

'Physio-EndEA' Study: A Randomized, Parallel-Group Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effect of a Supervised and Adapted Therapeutic Exercise Program to Improve Quality of Life in Symptomatic Women Diagnosed with Endometriosis

Aim: The ‘Physio-EndEA’ study aims to explore the potential benefits of a therapeutic exercise program (focused on lumbopelvic stabilization and tolerance to exertion) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of symptomatic endometriosis women. Design: The present study will use a parallel-group randomized controlled trial design. Methods: A total of 22 symptomatic endometriosis women will be randomized 1:1 to the Physio-EndEA or usual care groups. The ‘Physio-EndEA’ program will consist of a one-week lumbopelvic stabilization learning phase followed by an eight-week phase of stretching, aerobic and resistance exercises focused on the lumbopelvic area that will be sequentially instructed and supervised by a trained physiotherapist (with volume and intensity progression) and adapted daily to the potential of each participant. The primary outcome measure is HRQoL. The secondary outcome measures included clinician-reported outcomes (pressure pain thresholds, muscle thickness and strength, flexibility, body balance and cardiorespiratory fitness) and patient-reported outcomes (pain intensity, physical fitness, chronic fatigue, sexual function, gastrointestinal function and sleep quality). Discussion: Findings of this study will help to identify cost-effective non-pharmacological options (such as this exercise-based intervention) that may contribute to the improvement of HRQoL in symptomatic endometriosis women.

Evaluation of the SF-36 questionnaire for assessment of the quality of life of endometriosis patients undergoing treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Endometriosis has a negative influence on the physical, psychological, and social aspects of a patient's life; therefore, it affects the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The current review aimed to investigate the efficiency of a 36-item generic questionnaire survey (SF-36) for patients with endometriosis who were undergoing medical or surgical treatment. A search strategy including the key words ‘endometriosis’, ‘quality of life’ (QOL), and ‘questionnaire SF-36’ was applied using the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases in order to include articles that evaluated the QOL among women with endometriosis using the SF-36. Only articles that included interviews of patients both before and after surgical or medical endometriosis treatment or those articles that compared study groups were considered. The qualitative analysis was based on 37 articles, whereas the quantitative analysis utilized 14 articles. The research participants included 11,101 women, among whom 6,888 patients were diagnosed with endometriosis. The analysis recorded 17 studies dealing with all types of endometriosis, 9 studies dealing with deep infiltrative endometriosis (DIE), and 9 studies dealing with bowel endometriosis or DIE with bowel involvement. QOL was evaluated using only SF-36 in 12 studies that collectively included 1,912 women and using SF-36 in association with other questionnaires in 25 studies that collectively included 8,022 women. For patients with endometriosis, physical functioning [odds ratio (OR), 78.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 68.97-88.77; I²=98.77%; P≤0.001] was the most affected life parameter. This parameter showed the highest improvement after surgical intervention (OR, 63.39; 95% CI, 48.71-78.07; I²=97.65%; P≤0.001) or hormonal treatment (OR, 38.65; 95% CI, 14.39-62.91; I²=38.65%; P≤0.001). The 36-item survey generic questionnaire seems to be an efficient tool for assessment of the QOL of life of women with endometriosis who are undergoing surgical or medical treatment. It can be applied before and after the procedure, and it can also be used for comparing study groups.

Effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation for endometriosis-related pain: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

This study will assess the effectiveness and safety of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for endometriosis-related pain (ERP).

METHODS

Seven electronic databases of Cochrane Library, PUBMED, EMBASE, WANGFANG, VIP, CBM, and CNKI will be searched. We will search all electronic databases related the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness and safety of NMES for ERP up to the March 31, 2020 without restrictions of language. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for risk of bias assessment, related data analysis and meta-analysis.

RESULTS

This systematic review and meta-analysis will summarize current high-quality RCTs on the effectiveness and safety of NMES for ERP. Results of this study will provide the basis for both clinician and further research.

CONCLUSION

This study will investigate whether NMES is effective and safety for the treatment of ERP.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

INPLASY202040191.

Effectiveness of electrical stimulation for postoperative pain in patients with osteosarcoma: A systematic review protocol of clinical controlled trial

BACKGROUND

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of electrical stimulation (ES) for postoperative pain (PPP) in patients with osteosarcoma systematically.

METHODS

We will systematically search the following electronic databases from inception to the May 1, 2019: MEDILINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Springer, and CNKI without language restrictions. All literatures of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-controlled studies (CCSs) of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma will be included. RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Community; London, UK) and STATA 15.0 software (StataCorp; College Station) will be used for statistical analysis. Cochrane risk of bias will be used for methodological quality assessment for RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale will be utilized for CCSs.

RESULTS

This study will assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma through assessing primary outcome of pain intensity and secondary outcomes of frequency of rescue analgesic use, cumulative morphine consumption, quality of recovery, as well as adverse events.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide latest evidence on effectiveness and safety of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma, and may also provide guidance for both clinician and further studies.

DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS

This study does not require ethical approval, because it will not analyze the individual patient data. Its results are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42019135790.

Effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and ibuprofen for pain caused by necrosis of the femoral head: A retrospective study

This retrospective study analyzed the effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for pain relief caused by necrosis of femoral head (NFH).Totally, 80 cases of patients with NFH were analyzed and then were assigned to a treatment group or a control group in this study. Of these, 40 cases in the treatment group received ibuprofen and NMES therapy. The other 40 cases in the control group received ibuprofen alone. Cases in both groups were treated for a total of 6 weeks. The primary outcome of pain intensity was measured by a visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcome was assessed by Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). In addition, adverse events (AEs) were also recorded in each case. All outcomes were evaluated before and after the treatment.After treatment, patients in the treatment group showed more effectiveness in pain relief, as measured by VAS (P < .01) and WOMAC sub-pain scale (P < .01), except stiffness, as evaluated by WOMAC sub-stiffness scale (P = .07), and function, as assessed by WOMAC sub-function scale (P = .09), than patients in the control group. Additionally, no significant differences in AEs were detected between 2 groups.This study found that NMES may be helpful for pain relief in patients with NFH.