title: Do Vulvodynia TCM Patterns Differ by Pain Types? Beginning Evidence Supporting the Concept.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vulvodynia affects a maximum of 14 million U.S. women; however, it has not been adequately characterized. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers pattern diagnoses that may be considered vulvodynia phenotypes and may guide the development of more targeted treatments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In women with vulvodynia, to explore relationships between the TCM patterns and pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an exploratory study, 36 women diagnosed with vulvodynia had a TCM assessment and completed the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 36 women were diagnosed with one of the two TCM patterns (excess heat [n = 28] or excess cold [n = 8]). Although not statistically significant, (1) the excess heat pattern group had a higher mean sensory score (14.4 ± 6.0) and mean affective pain score (4.1 ± 2.8) (more pain) compared with the mean sensory score (13.3 ± 5.9) and mean affective score (3.3 ± 1.8) of the excess cold pattern group; (2) there was a higher mean score for neuropathic sensory descriptors in the excess heat pattern group (1.55 ± .58) compared with the excess cold pattern group (1.16 ± 0.72); and (3) there was a higher mean score for nociceptive sensory descriptors in the excess cold pattern group (1.23 ± 0.45) compared with the excess heat pattern group (1.14 ± 0.62). The difference in the hot-burning mean score between the two TCM pattern groups was statistically significant (t [34] = 6.55, p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intriguing trends were observed in the pain scores for the two TCM pattern groups. The possibility that TCM pattern groups have different types of pain (neuropathic vs. nociceptive) deserves further research in larger samples. If these exploratory findings are confirmed, the characterization of TCM patterns could lead to new treatments for vulvodynia.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Women, Children and Family Health Science, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing , Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Judith M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schlaeger
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, National University of Health Sciences , Lombard, IL.
authors.forename: Hui Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Acupuncture, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Nenggui
authors.affiliation: 4 Office of Research Facilitation, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing , Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Alana D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Acupuncture, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine , Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Biobehavioral Nursing Science, University of Florida College of Nursing , Gainesville, FL.
authors.forename: Diana J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wilkie
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D059408:Pain Management; D056650:Vulvodynia / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine; acupuncture; pain; vulvodynia