Patient reported outcomes in a large cohort of patients receiving osteopathic care in the United Kingdom

The use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to evaluate care is being advocated increasingly in clinical settings. Electronic data capture is both resource and environmentally friendly and convenient. The purpose of this study was to test and implement a nationwide system to collect routine PROM data from osteopathic patients using a web and mobile app … MORE

Cost comparison of osteopathic manipulative treatment for patients with chronic low back pain

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the second leading cause of disability in the United States, with significant physical and financial implications. Development of a multifaceted treatment plan that is cost effective and optimizes patients’ ability to function on a daily basis is critical. To date, there have been no published prospective studies comparing the cost of osteopathic manipulative treatment to that of standard care for patients with cLBP. The objectives of this study were to contrast the cost for standard of care treatment (SCT) for cLBP with standard of care plus osteopathic manipulative treatment (SCT + OMT) … MORE

An international profile of the practice of osteopaths: a systematic review of surveys

Gut Microbiome Changes with Osteopathic Treatment of Constipation in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study

The gut microbiome appears to be predictive of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with constipation. Chronic constipation frequently manifests prior to motor symptoms and impairs quality of life. An osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) sequence used physical exam assessment and manual treatment of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions pertinent to constipation in PD for this prospective ABA-design study, IRB-NYITBHS1065. The effects of 4 weekly treatments on the gut microbiome among men and women over 40 years old with chronic constipation and PD were investigated. Severity of PD was rated with the Movement Disorders Society-Unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) in six subjects with constipation. Also, the Bristol stool scale and questionnaires validated for constipation were administered for diagnosis, symptom severity, and quality of life during a 4-week control-period (A), 4-weekly OMM-treatments (B), and 2-weeks no-intervention (A). Biweekly stool samples were assessed for normalized microbiota abundance … MORE

Occipitoatlantal decompression and noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation slow conduction velocity through the atrioventricular node in healthy participants

Management of atrial fibrillation includes either rhythm control that aims at establishing a sinus rhythm or rate control that aims at lowering the ventricular rate, usually with atrioventricular nodal blocking agents. Another potential strategy for ventricular rate control is to induce a negative dromotropic effect by augmenting cardiac vagal activity, which might be possible through noninvasive and nonpharmacologic techniques. Thus, the hypothesis of this study was that occipitoatlantal decompression (OA-D) and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) not only increase cardiac parasympathetic tone as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV), but also slow atrioventricular conduction, assessed by the PQ-interval of the electrocardiogram (EKG) in generally healthy study participants without atrial fibrillation. The objectives of this study ware to test whether OA-D and/or transcutaneous taVNS, which have been demonstrated to increase cardiac parasympathetic nervous system activity, would also elicit a negative dromotropic effect and prolong atrioventricular conduction … MORE

The use of osteopathic manipulative treatment in the newborn nursery and its effect on health in the first six months of life: A retrospective observational case-control study

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to Optimize the Glymphatic Environment in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Measured With Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter, Intracranial Pressure Monitoring, and Neurological Pupil Index

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a complex pathophysiology that has historically been poorly understood. New evidence on the pathophysiology, molecular biology, and diagnostic studies involved in TBI have shed new light on optimizing rehabilitation and recovery. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on peripheral and central glial lymphatics in patients with severe TBI, brain edema, and elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) by measuring changes in several parameters regularly used in management … MORE

Support for osteopathic manipulative treatment inclusion in chronic pain management guidelines: a narrative review

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is used to treat chronic pain conditions. However, few guidelines focusing on chronic pain management include recommendations for OMT. The objective of this narrative review was to evaluate previous literature on the use of OMT for improving chronic pain … ABSTRACT

Osteopathic Treatment of Infants in Their First Year of Life: A Prospective Multicenter Observational Study (OSTINF Study)

In Germany in recent years, a growing number of parents are seeking help from osteopaths for the perceived health complaints of their infants and children. However, reliable evidence for the effectiveness of osteopathic interventions for this group of patients is largely lacking. The objective of this study was to observe and document changes in the symptoms of certain health disturbances, as perceived by parents, during the course of an osteopathic treatment of their baby, and associated side effects … ABSTRACT