Effects of an Individualized Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program on Impaired Postural Control in Women With Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an individualized comprehensive rehabilitation program (ICPR) on impaired postural control, pain, self-perceived health status, and functionality in women with chronic pelvic pain. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Women with chronic pelvic pain were recruited from the Gynecology Department of the University Hospital San Cecilio in Granada, Spain. Participants: Participants (N=38) who were randomly divided into 2 groups. Interventions: The intervention group received an 8-week ICRP, and the control group received a leaflet with ergonomic information. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcomes included were postural control (Mini Balance Evaluation Systems [Mini BESTest] and timed Up and Go [TUG]), pain (Brief Pain Inventory), self-perceived health status (EuroQol 5 dimensions [EQ-5D]), and functionality (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]). Results: Significant differences were found between groups in the Mini BESTest and TUG scores with large effect sizes. The Brief Pain Inventory, EQ-5D, and ODI also presented significant differences in the between-groups analysis, with better scores in the intervention group after treatment. In the follow-up analysis, significant differences were found between groups in the Mini BESTest (P<.001), the cognitive TUG subscale (P=.032), interference of pain (P<.001), anxiety and depression (P=.001), and visual analog scale EQ-5D (P=.026) subscales, as well as the ODI (P<.001). Conclusions: Our results show significant improvements on postural control, pain, self-perceived health status, and functionality in women with chronic pelvic pain who received an 8-week ICRP. (C) 2020 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine