Background: Female genital mutilation is considered a crime but is still practiced today in Africa and the Middle East, despite all the laws that make this procedure illegal due to the long-term physical and psychological harm it causes to women. Millions of girls and women living today have undergone genital mutilation, which involves removing the external female genitalia either partially or totally, based on the belief that it restricts feminine sexuality, thereby “saving” a girl for marriage. For girls and women, the surgery offers no health advantages. Girls’ right to control critical decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health is violated because genital mutilation is frequently done against their will and frequently without their consent, leading to lifelong psychic trauma in addition to sexual dysfunction and lack of satisfaction due to distortion of the genitalia that threatens marital stability. Objective: To determine the effect of a clitoral therapy device on improving sexual domains in women suffering from sexual dysfunction after female genital mutilation. Methods: This study examined 80 married women aged from 20 to 45 years who were referred from the gynecology outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, Suez University, for sexual dysfunction resulting from female genital mutilation. The women were divided into 2 equal groups: the study group received a clitoral therapy device and traditional psychosexual education and were closely followed for 3 months, while the control group received only traditional psychosexual education for 3 months. The Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was used to assess sexual outcomes pre- and posttreatment in the 2 groups. Results: Our findings revealed a significant increase in the 6 domains of the FSFI pretreatment in both groups compared to posttreatment (P>.001), except the orgasm domain in the control group, which showed only a nonsignificant increase (P=.16). Conclusions: Clitoral therapy devices may be an effective, safe, noninvasive rehabilitation method for sexual dysfunction following female genital mutilation. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05039775; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05039775

Objective: To provide a strong foundation for the use of high-intensity laser therapy in carpel tunnel syndrome, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the outcomes of short- and long-term follow-up studies. Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: Sample sizes of included studies ranged from 16 to 98 patients (N = 308). Overall, a significant difference between the treatment and control groups were found across majority of the measures. Studies using a 4-wk follow-up period, however, only found significantly greater benefits for high-intensity laser therapy in visual analog scale compared with placebo (P = 0.0191), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (P = 0.0026), and low-intensity laser therapy 20 J/cm² (P < 0.0002), and exercise (P < 0.0001). For improvement in visual analog scale score over a long treatment period, high-intensity laser therapy was also preferred over control group (P < 0.0071). Insufficient evidence exists to determine effect of high-intensity laser therapy on nerve conduction examinations. The only statistically significant differences observed in examinations were in relation to sensory nerve action potential (P = 0.0083) and sensory nerve conduction velocity (P = 0.0468). Conclusions: Moderate evidence exists regarding efficacy of high-intensity laser therapy compared with placebo, high-intensity laser therapy + wrist splint, and exercise in a short period of follow-up time but evidence on long-term follow-up is limited.

Objective: While ultrasound therapy is common for carpal tunnel syndrome, the relative merits of thermal versus pulsed ultrasound remain unclear. This study compares their therapeutic effects. Design: This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Ninety-two adults aged 30–60 yrs with mild-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (characteristic symptoms, positive clinical tests, abnormal electrophysiology) were randomized into four groups receiving 4-wk night splinting plus 12 ultrasound sessions: group A: 1 MHz, 1.0-W/cm² continuous ultrasound for 5 mins; group B: 1 MHz, 25% duty cycle, 1.0-W/cm² pulsed ultrasound for 15 mins; group C: 5 mins thermal plus 15 mins pulsed ultrasound; group D: sham ultrasound for 15 mins. Pain, function (Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand–Arabic), nerve conduction, and grip strength were measured at baseline, 4, and 8 wks. Results: Thermal and pulsed ultrasound groups improved in all outcomes versus placebo over 8 wks (P < 0.05). Pulsed ultrasound decreased pain and distal motor latency more than placebo (P < 0.05). Thermal ultrasound increased sensory nerve action potentials versus placebo (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Thermal and pulsed ultrasound with splinting improved pain, disability, grip strength, and nerve conduction in carpal tunnel syndrome. Pulsed ultrasound was optimal for pain and motor function, while thermal ultrasound enhanced sensory nerve function.

BACKGROUND Female genital mutilation is considered a crime but is still practiced today in Africa and the Middle East, despite all the laws that make this procedure illegal due to the long-term physical and psychological harm it causes to women. Millions of girls and women living today have undergone genital mutilation, which involves removing the external female genitalia either partially or totally, based on the belief that it restricts feminine sexuality, thereby “saving” a girl for marriage. For girls and women, the surgery offers no health advantages. Girls’ right to control critical decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health is violated because genital mutilation is frequently done against their will and frequently without their consent, leading to lifelong psychic trauma in addition to sexual dysfunction and lack of satisfaction due to distortion of the genitalia that threatens marital stability. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of a clitoral therapy device on improving sexual domains in women suffering from sexual dysfunction after female genital mutilation. METHODS This study examined 80 married women aged from 20 to 45 years who were referred from the gynecology outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, Suez University, for sexual dysfunction resulting from female genital mutilation. The women were divided into 2 equal groups: the study group received a clitoral therapy device and traditional psychosexual education and were closely followed for 3 months, while the control group received only traditional psychosexual education for 3 months. The Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was used to assess sexual outcomes pre- and posttreatment in the 2 groups. RESULTS Our findings revealed a significant increase in the 6 domains of the FSFI pretreatment in both groups compared to posttreatment (P>.001), except the orgasm domain in the control group, which showed only a nonsignificant increase (P=.16). CONCLUSIONS Clitoral therapy devices may be an effective, safe, noninvasive rehabilitation method for sexual dysfunction following female genital mutilation. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05039775; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05039775