Articles related toOsteopathic Journal Club

To further examine whether CV4 could induce uterine contractions and labor as part of the osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) protocol used in the Pregnancy Research in Osteopathic Manipulation Optimizing Treatment Effects (PROMOTE) study, the authors analyzed labor and delivery data collected from 400 patients during the PROMOTE study from 2007-2011.

Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) may be less widely known for improving circulation and immune response and restoring physiologic function than for addressing musculoskeletal function. To determine the reasons OMM consultations are being ordered at a tertiary care teaching hospital, the authors performed retrospective review examined data on all OMM consultations ordered at a single academic medical center between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2015.

With the increased incidence of pertussis, or whooping cough, osteopathic physicians should gain a better understanding of the potential benefits of OMT for treating pediatric patients. Historical literature provides some clues.

In this narrative review, the authors discuss previously-published literature describing osteopathic management of asthma (including OMT), as well as newly-approved medical management options like biologics and inhaled corticosteroids. The authors also provide 4 videos demonstrating OMT techniques for asthma management.

Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for various headache types, with limited evidence of its use for headaches related to mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). To evaluate the efficacy of OMT for headaches in patients with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) - defined as symptom persistence for longer than 3 months after MTBI – the authors performed a pilot study of 26 patients (13 in an OMT group and 13 in a control group), comparing headache scores on a Visual Analog Scale or Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) at baseline, posttreatment, and 4 to 6 week follow up.

The authors reviewed 63 primary sources to analyze the osteopathic manipulative treatment techniques used for the management of patients affected by the Spanish flu according to 4 themes: the principles and procedures used, frequency and length of OMT, reported side effects, and advice for patients.

While osteopathic manipulative treatment is known to reduce symptoms in patients with headache disorders, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, so the authors describe the results from their original study of 30 osteopathic medical students in which they evaluated blood flow in the intracranial and extracranial vasculature before and after occipitoatlantal decompression (OAD) using Doppler ultrasonography.

Although initially asymptomatic, mitral valve prolapse/myxomatous mitral valve disease (MVP/MMVD) and bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) are currently the 2 most common congenital valvular heart diseases. In this Clinical Practice overview meant to act as a primer for osteopathic physicians, the author explores possible associations between straight back syndrome (SBS) and MVP/MMVD, which may be a key to earlier diagnosis, as well as links between weightlifting and ascending aortic enlargement and with chordae tendineae rupture, where the common theme is blood pressure elevation.

Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) has been shown to successfully alleviate some pregnancy-related pain, but most published data focuses on the 3rd trimester and postpartum period or musculoskeletal indications. In this article, the authors report the results from 73 obstetrical providers who practice in multiple types of women’s healthcare facilities in Southern and Central Maine and who were surveyed about their OMM use, including the frequency by trimester and by clinical indication.