How Do Australian Physiotherapists Clinically Manage People With Symptomatic Endometriosis and Vulvodynia? A Survey of Current Practice Among Australian Physiotherapists

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that pelvic health physiotherapy is an effective, low-risk management strategy for women with endometriosis and vulvodynia. However, to date no study has identified which interventions Australian pelvic health physiotherapists are implementing in clinical practice to treat women with endometriosis and vulvodynia. AIMS: This study aimed to identify which interventions are used to treat women with endometriosis and vulvodynia, as well as increase knowledge surrounding the professional qualifications, workplace settings and information sources of these clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to Australian physiotherapists. Survey questions included those on workplace characteristics, information sources and intervention selection and frequency. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: 151 responses were included for analysis. Most respondents (74.2%) worked in private practice. Advice from colleagues or mentors was the most used information source when deciding how to treat women's pelvic health conditions. For both endometriosis and vulvodynia, pain or lifestyle education, pelvic floor down-training, relaxation, exercise and stretching/flexibility were the five most frequently used interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Australian physiotherapists are using a mixture of evidence-based and non-evidence-based interventions to treat women with endometriosis and vulvodynia. There is an urgent need for further high-quality studies investigating intervention efficacy and safety for physiotherapy interventions in women with endometriosis and vulvodynia.