Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea: Preliminary Results of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

Rodrigo Pegado; Luana Karyne Silva; Hégila da Silva Dantas; Hialison Andrade Câmara; Karime Andrade Mescouto; Edson Meneses Silva-Filho; Johnnatas Mikael Lopes; Maria Thereza Albuquerque Barbosa Cabral Micussi; Grasiéla Nascimento Correia

doi:10.1093/pm/pnz202

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea: Preliminary Results of a Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

Pain Med. 2020 Dec 25;21(12):3615-3623. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnz202.

Authors

Rodrigo Pegado¹, Luana Karyne Silva¹, Hégila da Silva Dantas¹, Hialison Andrade Câmara¹, Karime Andrade Mescouto¹, Edson Meneses Silva-Filho¹, Johnnatas Mikael Lopes², Maria Thereza Albuquerque Barbosa Cabral Micussi³, Grasiéla Nascimento Correia¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Health Science of Trairi.
² FACEX University Center, Nassau University Center, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
³ Health Science Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

PMID: 31498389
DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnz202

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of five consecutive sessions of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the motor cortex (M1) on pain, mood, and physical performance in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PDM).

Design: This is a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Subjects: Twenty-two participants with PDM according to the No. 345-PDM Consensus Guideline were included.

Methods: Eleven active treatment and 11 sham stimulation patients received five applications over a one-week period. The primary outcome measures were pain evaluated by numeric rating scale (NRS) and McGill Questionnaire score. Secondary outcomes measures were responses to the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), grip strength, and six-minute walk test (6MWT). Baseline data were performed during the first menstrual cycle, and during the second menstrual cycle, participants were conducted to tDCS treatment, and postintervention data were collected.

Results: The intervention provided significant improvements on NRS in active tDCS, shown as an interaction between group intervention vs pre/postintervention vs days of menstrual cycle (Wald x2 = 10.54, P = 0.005), main effect of days of menstrual cycle (Wald x2 = 25.42, P < 0.001), and pre/postintervention (Wald x2 = 6.97, P = 0.008). McGill showed an interaction effect between pre/postintervention and group of stimulation (Wald x2 = 18.45, P = 0.001), with a large reduction in active tDCS (P < 0.001, d = 0.75). Psychological and functional outcomes did not differ between groups or pre/postintervention.

Conclusions: tDCS could provide pain relief in subjects with PDM. These results provide some preliminary evidence for the potential role of tDCS as a contributor to the management of symptoms of PDM.

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Pain; Rehabilitation; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Double-Blind Method
Dysmenorrhea / therapy
Female
Humans
Motor Cortex*
Pain Management
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation*
Treatment Outcome