Osteopathy - Research

Research

Several large studies in the U.K. have produced evidence that demonstrates positive clinical and cost effectiveness of manipulation in the management of lower back pain, the latest being the U.K. Back pain Exercise And Manipulation (UK BEAM) trial. The physical manipulation condition of the U.K. BEAM trial involved "... a package of techniques representative of those used by the U.K. chiropractic, osteopathic, and physiotherapy professions."

In a 2005 meta-analysis and systematic review of six randomized controlled trials of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) that involved blinded assessments of lower back pain in ambulatory settings, it was concluded that OMT significantly reduces low back pain, and that the level of pain reduction is greater than expected from placebo effects alone and persists for at least three months.

The NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that overall, studies have shown that spinal manipulation can provide mild to moderate relief from low-back pain and appears to be as effective as conventional medical treatments. In 2007 guidelines, the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society include spinal manipulation as one of several treatment options for practitioners to consider using when pain does not improve with self-care. Recent research into spinal manipulation for low-back pain has begun to look at the effects of different forms of manipulation, as well as treatment duration and frequency. Studies have found that spinal manipulation provides relief from low-back pain at least over the short term (i.e., up to 3 months), and that pain-relieving effects may continue for up to 1 year. Spinal manipulation is generally a safe treatment for low-back pain. Serious complications are very rare.

Additionally, U.S. osteopathic physicians and academic researchers have conducted preliminary research to determine the efficacy of manual techniques to manage and/or co-manage conditions such as asthma and acute otitis media in children, dysmenorrhea, and pulmonary infection.