[en] Background: primary dysmenorrhea is a condition suffered by more than half of the world's female population, affecting both their physical and mental health and often leading to a negative impact on their professional, academic and social lives, as well as their economic situation. The more popular treatments for this condition are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and oral contraceptives. Regarding physical treatments, several evaluations have proven the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise on this pathology. However, the efficacy of different modalities of exercise and the ideal dosage for pain relief in patients with primary dysmenorrhea are still unknown. Objective: to learn about the efficiency of therapeutic exercise, its different intervention modalities, and its dosages for the pain for women who suffer primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: the bibliographic search of clinical trials was conducted on the databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PEDro throughout the months of March and April 2023. The methodological quality of the research was evaluated using the PEDro scale, and the level of evidence was assessed using the Van Tulder criteria. Outcomes: fifteen trials were selected in total, of which 13 were randomized clinical trials and 2 were quasi-experimental clinical trials with external control. The average score on the PEDro scale was 4.5 points. Several types of interventions were analyzed, including aerobic exercises, isometric exercises, core strengthening exercises, relaxation exercises, Pilates, combination exercises, exercises based on a FIIT protocol (frequency, intensity, time and type) and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Pain significantly improved in every woman who practiced therapeutic exercise, regardless of the type and dosage of the intervention. Conclusions: there is strong evidence that therapeutic exercise is effective for pain relief in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Within therapeutic exercise, there is moderate evidence regarding the effectiveness of core strengthening exercises, while there is strong evidence that isometric and aerobic exercises significantly improve pain for patients. However, there is no evidence regarding the significance of the dosage of therapeutic exercise.

[gl] Introdución: a dismenorrea primaria é un problema que presentan máis da metade das mulleres do mundo, afectando a súa saúde física e mental, e podendo ter impacto no ámbito laboral, académico, social e económico. Os tratamentos máis empregados son os medicamentos antiinflamatorios non esteroideos (AINES) e os anticonceptivos orais. En canto aos tratamentos con medios físicos, hai varias revisións que demostran a eficacia do exercicio terapéutico nesta patoloxía, pero non se coñece a eficacia das diferentes modalidades do exercicio nin da dosificación ideal na diminución da dor en mulleres con dismenorrea primaria. Obxectivo: coñecer a eficacia do exercicio terapéutico, e das súas distintas modalidades de intervención, así como a súa dosificación na dor das mulleres con dismenorrea primaria. Material e método: a procura bibliográfica dos ensaios clínicos realizouse nas bases de datos de Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science e PEDro durante os meses de marzo e abril de 2023. A calidade metodolóxica dos estudos foi avaliada a través da escala PEDro e o nivel de evidencia cos criterios de Van Tulder. Resultados: seleccionáronse un total de 15 ensaios, dos cales 13 son ensaios clínicos controlados aleatorizados e 2 son ensaios clínicos cuasi-experimentais con control externo. A puntuación media é de 4,5 puntos na escala PEDro. Analizáronse varios tipos de intervención: exercicios aerobios, exercicios isométricos, exercicios de fortalecemento de CORE, exercicios de relaxación, pilates, exercicios combinados, exercicios baseados nun protocolo FIIT (frecuencia, intensidade, tempo e tipo de actividade) e outro nun HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). A dolor sempre mellorou significativamente en todas aquelas mulleres que realizaron exercicio terapéutico sen importar o modo nin a dosificación da intervención que fixeran. Conclusións: existe unha forte evidencia de que o exercicio terapéutico é eficaz na diminución da dor nas mulleres con dismenorrea primaria. Dentro deste, existe evidencia moderada sobre a eficacia dos exercicios de fortalecemento de CORE, mentres que hai unha forte evidencia na eficacia dos exercicios isométricos e aerobios na mellora da dor en mulleres con dismenorrea primaria. Non obstante, non se pode afirmar que unha dosificación de exercicio terapéutico sexa máis eficaz que outra.