Acupuncture as a pain-relieving modality for provoked vestibulodynia

Author(s): H. L. Forth - Pages: 40-47

Abstract

This case report describes the use of acupuncture as an adjunct to physiotherapy treatment for provoked vestibulodynia in a 30-year-old woman. The physiological effects of acupuncture and the relevance of these to the case are discussed. Five sessions of acupuncture were completed with the aim of decreasing the subject’s pain and improving her quality of life. The other physiotherapy interventions used included muscle re-education, general relaxation and manual myofascial trigger point release. The National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and a simple Likert scale rating the amount of trouble associated with the patient’s problem were used to measure the effectiveness of the clinical interventions. Improvements in NIH-CPSI scores were observed in all domains.

Keywords: acupuncture, physiotherapy, provoked vestibulodynia, vulval pain, vulvodynia