Abstract
Endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain can at times be a complex problem that
is resistant to standard medical and surgical therapies. Multiple comorbidities and
central sensitization may be at play and must be recognized with the help of a thorough
history and physical examination. If a complex pain problem is identified, most endometriosis
expert reviews and guidelines recommend multidisciplinary care. However, there are
no specific recommendations about what should be the components of this approach and
how that type of team care should be delivered. There is evidence showing the effectiveness
of specific interventions such as pain education, physical therapy, psychological
therapies, and pharmacotherapies for the treatment of chronic pain. Interdisciplinary
team models have been well studied and validated in other chronic pain conditions
such as low back pain. The published evidence in support of interdisciplinary teams
for endometriosis-associated chronic pain is more limited but appears promising. Based
on the available evidence, a model for an interdisciplinary team approach for endometriosis
care is outlined.
Keywords
interdisciplinary - multidisciplinary - pelvic pain - endometriosis
