Osteopathic manipulative treatment for chronic nonspecific neck pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Nonspecific neck pain is common, disabling, and costly. The objective of the current review was to assess the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in the management of chronic nonspecific neck pain regarding pain, functional status, and adverse events … ABSTRACT

Reassessing the accuracy and reproducibility of Diers formetric measurements in healthy volunteers

There is an urgent need for objective assessment of the result of osteopathic treatment. The non-invasive equipment Diers 4-D formetric^®, using the Moiré principle to estimate spine and pelvis configuration from the external aspect of the back, allows for the quantification of angles, surfaces, torsion and balance. The objective of this study was to assess the reproducibility and coefficient of variation of formetric 4D measurements in repeat assessments of healthy, asymptomatic persons … ABSTRACT

Primo Vascular System: A Unique Biological System Shifting a Medical Paradigm

Implementation of a Resident-Led Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Clinic in an Allopathic Residency

With the growing number of osteopathic physicians practicing in the United States and the creation of a single graduate medical education system, a continued need exists for focused education in osteopathic principles, philosophy, and treatment modalities in primarily allopathic residency programs. The objective of this study was to create and integrate a resident-led osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) clinic in an allopathic residency program … ABSTRACT

The effect of journal impact factor, reporting conflicts, and reporting funding sources, on standardized effect sizes in back pain trials: a systematic review and meta-regression

Low back pain is a common and costly health complaint for which there are several moderately effective treatments. In some fields there is evidence that funder and financial conflicts are associated with trial outcomes. It is not clear whether effect sizes in back pain trials relate to journal impact factor, reporting conflicts of interest, or reporting funding.
The researchers of this study performed a systematic review of English-language papers reporting randomised controlled trials of treatments for non-specific low back pain, published between 2006-2012. They modelled the relationship using 5-year journal impact factor, and categories of reported of conflicts of interest, and categories of reported funding (reported none and reported some, compared to not reporting these) using meta-regression, adjusting for sample size, and publication year … MORE

Low back pain patients in Sweden, Denmark and the UK share similar characteristics and outcomes: a cross-national comparison of prospective cohort studies

Low back pain (LBP) is the world’s leading cause of disability and yet poorly understood. Cross-national comparisons may motivate hypotheses about outcomes being condition-specific or related to cultural differences and can inform whether observations from one country may be generalised to another. This analysis of data from three cohort studies explored whether characteristics and outcomes differed between LBP patients visiting chiropractors in Sweden, Denmark and the UK … MORE

The patient experience of osteopathic healthcare

Osteopathy in Australia is a primary care limited scope practice. Practitioner surveys suggest that patients present with chronic pain and receive manual therapies, exercise and lifestyle advice. Further research is required to deepen the understanding of this intervention from the perspective of patients. The objective of this study was to explore the experience of patients receiving osteopathic healthcare … ABSTRACT

A National Study of Primary Care Provided by Osteopathic Physicians

The establishment of a single accreditation system for graduate medical education in the United States suggests a convergence of osteopathic and allopathic medicine. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of medical care provided by osteopathic and allopathic physicians … ABSTRACT

Structural and Functional Features of Central Nervous System Lymphatic Vessels

One of the characteristics of the central nervous system is the lack of a classical lymphatic drainage system. Although it is now accepted that the central nervous system undergoes constant immune surveillance that takes place within the meningeal compartment, the mechanisms governing the entrance and exit of immune cells from the central nervous system remain poorly understood. In searching for T-cell gateways into and out of the meninges, we discovered functional lymphatic vessels lining the dural sinuses. These structures express all of the molecular hallmarks of lymphatic endothelial cells, are able to carry both fluid and immune cells from the cerebrospinal fluid, and are connected to the deep cervical lymph nodes. The unique location of these vessels may have impeded their discovery to date, thereby contributing to the long-held concept of the absence of lymphatic vasculature in the central nervous system. The discovery of the central nervous system lymphatic system may call for a reassessment of basic assumptions in neuroimmunology and sheds new light on the aetiology of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases associated with immune system dysfunction … ABSTRACT