Evidence Matters

Can Heat Treat Dysmenorrhea?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

A recent systematic review concluded that heat therapy may reduce the pain associated with primary dysmenorrhea
- Review did not include some relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Jo et al. (Scientific Reports, 2018) examined whether heat therapy is a viable treatment for primary dysmenorrhea

Systematic review and meta-analysis
Studies included those that had
- RCT study design
- Addressed heat therapy for patients with primary dysmenorrhea
Two independent reviewers performed data extraction and risk-of-bias assessments
Heating Devices
- 4 studies used a heating device (e.g., patch or wrap)
- 2 studies used a ceramic belt emitting far-infrared radiation (FIR)

6 RCTs met inclusion
Compared to placebo
- 2 RCTs found favorable effects of heat therapy on menstrual pain
Compared to analgesic medication
- 2 RCTs found favorable effects of heating pads (n = 274)
- Standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.72 (95% CI, 0.97 to -0.48; P < 0.001; two studies)
Compared to no treatment, 1 RCT showed beneficial effects (n=132)
- Mean difference (MD): -4.04 pain reduction using visual analogue scale (95% CI, -4.88 to -3.20; P < 0.001)

Heat pads appear to help relieve dysmenorrhea
- There was a consistent reduction against placebo and medication
Authors caution that rigorous high-quality trials are still required to increase confidence in these results

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