PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE REHABILITATION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION SURVIVORS: A SCOPING REVIEW PROTOCOL

Background of Study: Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a persistent global health challenge, disproportionately affecting women and girls in low-resource settings where sociocultural norms, systemic inequities, and limited access to specialized rehabilitation converge to sustain preventable morbidity. Although decades of advocacy have illuminated the physical, psychological, and reproductive complications of FGM, rehabilitation has traditionally focused on surgical and psychosocial pathways, leaving physiotherapy particularly pelvic health and musculoskeletal rehabilitation critically underexplored. Yet, emerging evidence underscores the contribution of physiotherapy to the management of chronic vulvar pain, dyspareunia, urinary dysfunction, obstetric complications, and trauma-related somatic symptoms. These conditions mirror domains where physiotherapy has demonstrated robust benefits in other populations, suggesting unrealized potential for FGM survivors. However, existing research is diffuse, heterogeneous, and context-bound, with little synthesis of the specific interventions used, the outcomes reported, or their adaptability to culturally sensitive care models. Consequently, physiotherapy’s role in the continuum of survivor-centered rehabilitation remains poorly defined, underutilized, and largely absent from policy frameworks. This scoping review seeks to interrogate this gap by systematically mapping the current evidence base and illuminating opportunities for a more equitable and integrated rehabilitation response. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted using the methodological framework by Arksey and O’Malley, refined by Levac et al., and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search will be undertaken across major databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and relevant grey literature sources. Guided by the Population-Concept-Context (PCC) approach, the review will include studies reporting physiotherapy or rehabilitation interventions for FGM-related complications across any setting. Two reviewers will independently screen records, extract data using a pilot-tested charting form, and synthesize findings in narrative and tabular formats. In keeping with scoping review methodology, no formal quality appraisal will be performed. Expected Contribution: This review is expected to illuminate the breadth and diversity of physiotherapy-led interventions currently applied to FGM rehabilitation, the complications they target, and the sociocultural and health-system contexts shaping their delivery. It will also identify persistent gaps including the scarcity of standardized outcome measures, limited interdisciplinary integration, and inadequate provider training that constrain physiotherapy’s contribution to survivor-centered care. By synthesizing available evidence, this review will provide a foundational map to guide future research, strengthen clinical pathways, and inform policy reforms aimed at embedding physiotherapy within holistic, context-appropriate rehabilitation for FGM survivors. Conclusion: By synthesizing the scattered evidence on physiotherapy for FGM survivors, this scoping review will clarify its current role, uncover implementation challenges, and propose directions for enhancing interdisciplinary, survivor-centered rehabilitation models.