Continuous low-level topical heat therapy is as effective as ibuprofen for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, according to researchers who reportedly conducted the first randomized, controlled clinical trial of such therapy.
In the March issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Roger P. Smith of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and colleagues report that they assigned 84 women to use an abdominal patch (heated or unheated) for 12 consecutive hours per day, along with oral medication (400 mg ibuprofen or placebo) three times daily for 2 consecutive days. Subjects recorded pain relief and pain intensity on a 6-point scale at 17 time points.
Eighty-one patients completed the study protocol, according to the investigators. "Over the 2 days of treatment, the heated patch plus placebo tablet group (mean 3.27), the unheated patch plus ibuprofen group (mean 3.07), and the combination heated patch plus ibuprofen group (mean 3.55) had significantly greater pain relief than the unheated patch plus placebo group (mean 1.95)," they say.
The team noted similar pain relief from the heated patch plus ibuprofen and the unheated patch plus ibuprofen. However, there were significant differences between the groups at 3, 4, and 8 hours. In addition, time to noticeable pain relief was significantly shorter for the heated patch group compared with the unheated patch group, 1.5 hours and 2.79 hours, respectively.
The rate of complete relief was significantly higher for the heated patch plus ibuprofen group and the heated patch plus placebo group than for the unheated patch plus placebo group, the authors note.
"The women treated with the long-term heat therapy also showed an overall improvement in their quality of life as indicated by significant reductions in the severity of associated headaches and tension," co-investigator Dr. Kurt W. Weingand, of the Procter and Gamble Company, Mason, Ohio, told Reuters Health.
"We will be conducting additional clinical trials to confirm these research findings and compare the benefits of continuous low-level topical heat therapy with other common treatments for menstrual cramp pain," Dr. Weingand said. "We are also interested in exploring whether or not continuous low-level topical heat therapy could completely prevent the pain and discomforts associated with monthly menstrual cramps."
