If you suffer from chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), you are no exception – up to 15.7% of women worldwide are affected. However, there is good news: Effective therapeutic options are available.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is a modern and advanced treatment method for pelvic pain. It often provides significant pain relief after just a few weeks.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is now also recognised as a relatively common condition in women and includes various clinical pictures. Of these, vulvodynia is the most common form, causing chronic pain or irritation in the vaginal area. Another clinical picture is dyspareunia, in which pain in the genital area occurs during or after sexual intercourse, making vaginal penetration partially or completely impossible. CPPS and the associated symptoms have a significant impact on the quality of life of affected women and their partners.
Causes and treatment
CPPS can be triggered by pelvic inflammatory disease, after pelvic surgery or other causes. Vulvodynia often occurs in women as a functional disorder for which no clear cause can be identified.
The usual treatment method consists primarily of pain relief with medication. Physiotherapy can also have a supportive effect. If conservative measures are not sufficient, surgery may even be considered in individual cases. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive alternative. It enables ongoing treatments such as physiotherapy to be supplemented.
Shock wave therapy for CPPS
With shock wave therapy, CPPS patients receive targeted treatment that covers the entire vulva and perineal area, as shown in the image below. After ESWT, vulvodynia patients report significant pain relief.1 Similarly, dyspareunia patients report a significant reduction in pain during intercourse.2 Studies show that pain relief in CPPS patients can significantly improve quality of life.3,4
The sessions take place at weekly intervals, with each session usually lasting around 15 minutes. On average, around four sessions are required, depending on the severity.
Effect
The hyperstimulation of the pain receptors triggered by ESWT can block the transmission of pain, significantly aiding in the treatment of CPPS. After ESWT, women report a significant reduction in pain in everyday life and during sexual intercourse.
Sources
1 Hurt K, et al.: Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, 56(2), 2020.
2 Hurt K, et al.: Ann Phys Rehabil Med, 64(6), 2021.
3 Agarwal SK, et al.: J Sex Med, 17(12), 2020.
4 Yucel N, et al.: Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol, 58(5), 2018.