The Incidence of Orthopedic Comorbidities in Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain

Background: Chronic pelvic pain is an increasingly common diagnosis among premenopausal women. In the past, women\u27s pelvic pain had been attributed to psychological issues, instead of pelvic musculoskeletal abnormalities. Objective: The reported study was designed to determine if significant differences existed between symptomatic and asymptomatic women regarding four orthopedic measures: leg length discrepancy, active hip internal and external rotation, pelvic obliquity and active straight leg raise. Statistical Analysis: These results were compared using descriptive analysis, frequencies and ANOVA measures with a p value of 0.05. Design: Fifty-one women ages 19-49 participated in this study. The symptomatic sample consisted of twelve women seeking physical therapy for pelvic pain conditions. This group was compared to 39 asymptomatic women. Results: Significance was determined for left hip internal rotation and differences were noted between the group\u27s pelvic obliquity and Active Straight Leg Raise (ASLR). Conclusion: There was a larger difference of hip internal rotation, along with a higher incidence of pelvic obliquity and positive ASLR in women with chronic pelvic pain conditions as compared to asymptomatic women. More research is needed to investigate muscular and biomechanical changes that manifest themselves in women with a chronic pelvic pain disorder to more effectively identify and treat those disorders