Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Tension Headaches

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for a Chronic Rotator Cuff Tear: A Case Report

Rotator cuff tears, particularly involving the supraspinatus muscle and/or tendon, are highly prevalent among individuals engaged in repetitive shoulder motions. Occupations demanding constant and repetitive shoulder movements are especially susceptible to rotator cuff injuries, potentially leading to prolonged joint wear and tear and an increased likelihood of joint replacement. Considering the impact of social determinants of health, including access to healthcare and socioeconomic status, it is imperative to explore conservative treatment modalities that alleviate financial burdens and reduce lengthy recovery periods. In this report, we present a case of a 64-year-old female hairdresser diagnosed with a chronic partial thickness rotator cuff tear who remained unresponsive to physical therapy and chiropractic manipulation but exhibited improvement following osteopathic manipulative treatment. Additionally, osteopathic considerations and pertinent literature are reviewed to provide insight into the broader context of shoulder pain management.

Epiploic Appendagitis Mimicking Acute Appendicitis: An Osteopathic Case Report

Acute epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal pain, often misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis or diverticulitis given similar clinical presentation and findings. The treatment is supportive care and is typically self-limited. The osteopathic structural exam can give insight into pathology and in this case, was suggestive of a non-appendiceal origin of her pain, in which emergent surgery could be avoided. Requiring computerized tomography to identify, acute epiploic appendagitis is a rare cause of abdominal pain and should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Effect of osteopathic techniques on human resting muscle tone in healthy subjects using myotonometry: a factorial randomized trial

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent, burdensome, and putatively associated with an altered human resting muscle tone (HRMT). Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is commonly and effectively applied to treat MSDs and reputedly influences the HRMT. Arguably, OMT may modulate alterations in HRMT underlying MSDs. However, there is sparse evidence even for the effect of OMT on HRMT in healthy subjects. A 3 × 3 factorial randomised trial was performed to investigate the effect of myofascial release (MRT), muscle energy (MET), and soft tissue techniques (STT) on the HRMT of the corrugator supercilii (CS), superficial masseter (SM), and upper trapezius muscles (UT) in healthy subjects in Hamburg, Germany. Participants were randomised into three groups (1:1:1 allocation ratio) receiving treatment, according to different muscle-technique pairings, over the course of three sessions with one-week washout periods. We assessed the effect of osteopathic techniques on muscle tone (F), biomechanical (S, D), and viscoelastic properties (R, C) from baseline to follow-up (primary objective) and tested if specific muscle-technique pairs modulate the effect pre- to post-intervention (secondary objective) using the MyotonPRO (at rest). Ancillary, we investigate if these putative effects may differ between the sexes. Data were analysed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, and quantiles) and inductive statistics (Bayesian ANOVA). 59 healthy participants were randomised into three groups and two subjects dropped out from one group (n = 20; n = 20; n = 19-2). The CS produced frequent measurement errors and was excluded from analysis. OMT significantly changed F (-0.163 [0.060]; p = 0.008), S (-3.060 [1.563]; p = 0.048), R (0.594 [0.141]; p < 0.001), and C (0.038 [0.017]; p = 0.028) but not D (0.011 [0.017]; p = 0.527). The effect was not significantly modulated by muscle-technique pairings (p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed a significant sex-specific difference for F from baseline to follow-up. No adverse events were reported. OMT modified the HRMT in healthy subjects which may inform future research on MSDs. In detail, MRT, MET, and STT reduced the muscle tone (F), decreased biomechanical (S not D), and increased viscoelastic properties (R and C) of the SM and UT (CS was not measurable). However, the effect on HRMT was not modulated by muscle-technique interaction and showed sex-specific differences only for F.Trial registration German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00020393).

Inhibiting the Musculoskeletal Pathological Processes in Post-knee Replacement Surgery With Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: A Systematic Review

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a very common surgical treatment approach for severe osteoarthritis. Complications of TKA include loss of range of motion and prolonged analgesic requirement for pain control. Osteopathic manipulative techniques (OMT) have been utilized to address localized muscular stiffness to improve range of motion; however, limited studies directly correlate OMT and TKA recovery. This review highlights the therapeutic benefits OMT can have in the postoperative management of arthroplasty with respect to range of motion, edema, pain perception, and ability to perform activities of daily living. This review revealed the use of OMT would positively influence range of motion by manipulation of localized musculature and can result in decreased demand for analgesics. This can, in turn, shorten hospital stay and return the ability of patients to perform activities of daily living earlier than without OMT. Increased research is needed to strengthen these findings on the benefits of OMT in the postoperative management of arthroplasty.