Primary dysmenorrhea, characterized by painful uterine contractions during menstruation which affects a large proportion of individuals. Current standard of care is management with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). While effective, NSAIDs carry risks with prolonged use, including gastrointestinal and renal complications, with some individuals being unable or unwilling to use them. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) offers a low-cost, noninvasive alternative with potential for pain relief, although prior studies have been limited by treatment heterogeneity and lack of methodological rigor. This pilot study sought to evaluate a standardized, single-blinded OMT protocol compared to NSAIDs in the management of primary dysmenorrhea. Forty participants were recruited, with 28 included in the preliminary analysis. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: NSAID control, lumbosacral OMT, pelvic OMT, or viscerosomatic OMT. Pain scores were measured before and after intervention, and delta pain scores were calculated to assess treatment efficacy. Preliminary findings demonstrate that OMT resulted in significantly greater improvements in pain compared to NSAIDs. These results are clinically meaningful, as they suggest OMT may provide effective, non-pharmacologic relief for menstrual pain while reducing reliance on medications with adverse effects. Limitations of this preliminary investigation include a small sample size, narrow demographics regarding age and health status, and subjective evaluation of pain. Ongoing investigation is currently being perused to address such limitations. As a pilot study, these findings support the feasibility of a blinded OMT research design in women’s health and highlight the need for larger-scale studies to further investigate OMT as a novel management option for primary dysmenorrhea.
