Physical Modalities for the Treatment of Localized Provoked Vulvodynia: A Scoping Review of the Literature from 2010 to 2023

Victoria A Jackman,1 Krisztina Bajzak,2 Alex Rains,3 Michelle Swab,4 Michelle E Miller,2 Gabrielle S Logan,5 Diana L Gustafson6 1Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s Canada; 2Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Memorial University, Newfoundland...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Women's Health
Main Authors: Jackman,Victoria, Bajzak,Krisztina, Rains,Alex, Swab,Michelle, Miller,Michelle, Logan,Gabrielle, Gustafson,Diana
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Dove Press 2024
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Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/physical-modalities-for-the-treatment-of-localized-provoked-vulvodynia-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH
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Summary:Victoria A Jackman,1 Krisztina Bajzak,2 Alex Rains,3 Michelle Swab,4 Michelle E Miller,2 Gabrielle S Logan,5 Diana L Gustafson6 1Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s Canada; 2Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Memorial University, Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s Canada; 3Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 4Health Sciences Library, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s Canada; 5Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; 6Division of Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s CanadaCorrespondence: Krisztina Bajzak, Email kbajzak@yahoo.comIntroduction: Localized provoked vulvodynia (LPV) is a prevalent sexual health condition with significant negative impacts on quality of life. There is a lack of consensus regarding effective management.Methods: We used Arksey and O’Malley’s five-step method to identify, collate, and evaluate literature published between 2010 and 2023. The scoping review investigated the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions in the management of LPV. The aim of this paper is to map the literature on the efficacy or effectiveness of physical interventions.Results: The review produced 19 primary studies of physical interventions for LPV. These include acupuncture, laser therapy, physiotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, low-intensity shockwave therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, and vestibulectomy.Conclusion: Published studies that investigated a range of physical treatments for LPV showed some positive effects, except for transcranial direct-current stimulation. The remaining modalities demonstrated improved sexual pain and treatment satisfaction, when measured. Findings were mixed for non-sexual pain. There was insufficient ...