Postural control of women with primary dysmenorrhea in different phases of the menstrual cycle

ABSTRACT Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a lower pelvic or abdominal pain related to menstruation that is associated to painful myofascial points, and its presence can alter somatosensory perception and muscle activation, which can affect postural control. This study’s aim was to verify PD’s influence on women’s static postural control in two different phases of the menstrual cycle, with and without pain. 19 university students (22.4±3.0 years-old) with PD were evaluated by visual analog scale, algometry and force plate. The data were submitted to descriptive statistics and had their normality verified (Shapiro-Wilk), the variables were compared using the Student t-test and Wilcoxon test. The assessed group showed pain considered as average (4.1±2.3). The values for pressure pain threshold were lower in the moment with pain than in the moment without pain, in the right abdominal area (p=0.04) and bilateral lumbosacral (p