NCT07354451

Pelvic Nerve Mobilization for Primary Dysmenorrhea

Efficacy of Pelvic Nerve Mobilization in Reducing Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Hail · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 30 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Primary dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent condition among young women and is associated with significant pain, reduced quality of life, and academic absenteeism. Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used, many women seek non-pharmacological alternatives due to limited effectiveness or adverse effects. Emerging evidence suggests that altered pelvic neurodynamics may contribute to dysmenorrheic pain. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of external pelvic nerve mobilization in reducing menstrual pain and associated symptoms among university women with primary dysmenorrhea. Participants aged 18-30 years will be randomly allocated to receive either external pelvic nerve mobilization or a sham manual therapy intervention across three consecutive menstrual cycles. Outcomes will include pain intensity, menstrual distress, quality of life, pelvic tenderness, analgesic consumption, and academic absenteeism.

Detailed description

Primary dysmenorrhea is characterized by painful menstruation in the absence of identifiable pelvic pathology and affects a large proportion of young women. Pain is largely mediated by excessive prostaglandin release, uterine ischemia, and sensitization of pelvic neural pathways. Recurrent nociceptive input may lead to peripheral and central sensitization, exacerbating pain severity. External pelvic nerve mobilization is a physiotherapy-based neurodynamic intervention designed to restore physiological mobility of pelvic and lumbosacral nerves, reduce neural mechanosensitivity, and modulate nociceptive signaling. Unlike internal pelvic techniques, this approach is entirely external, non-invasive, and suitable for young and student populations. This single-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial will assess whether external pelvic nerve mobilization provides superior pain reduction and functional improvement compared with a sham intervention over three menstrual cycles.

Conditions

• Primary Dysmenorrhea (PD)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	External Pelvic Nerve Mobilization	Participants will receive a standardized, protocol-driven external neurodynamic mobilization intervention specifically designed to target the lumbosacral plexus and pudendal nerve pathways. Unlike general pelvic manual therapy or routine neural mobilization techniques typically used in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, this intervention incorporates: A predefined sequence of graded neurodynamic maneuvers developed exclusively for this study, combining individually titrated sliders and tensioners based on the participant's symptom irritability and neurodynamic response. Non-internal, purely external application, ensuring a consistent, reproducible method across participants while avoiding variability associated with internal pelvic techniques used in other women's health studies
OTHER	Sham Mobilization	Participants will receive non-therapeutic light manual contact over the lumbosacral and pelvic regions without neural gliding, joint movement, or tissue mobilization. Session duration and therapist interaction will match the intervention group.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-20
• Primary completion: 2026-01-30
• Completion: 2026-01-30
• First posted: 2026-01-21
• Last updated: 2026-01-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Pakistan