Category: Research

We read with great interest the recently published study by Coste et al. The authors reported no benefit of osteopathic treatment in a sample of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and, therefore, concluded that its use was not recommended. We argue that their findings were expected given their lack of rationale for evaluating the benefits of a single […]

The number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for manual therapy (MT) has increased exponentially in recent years but the quality of reporting is heterogeneous. The objective of this methodological review was to assess the quality of the reporting of results in RCTs manual therapy, both in the text and in the graphs … ABSTRACT

A current osteopathic tenet inherited from Native American principles involves viewing each person as a dynamic interaction of body-mind-spirit (BMS). Because of its traditional medicine heritage and current evidence-based approach, the osteopathic profession is, arguably, uniquely positioned to promote evidence-informed person-centered approaches that transcend improvements in pain and musculoskeletal function. It may be particularly relevant […]

The World Health Organization benchmarks for osteopathic training consider cranial osteopathy as an important manual skill. Studies of cranial manual therapy have exhibited poor reliability. The aim of this study was to investigate the inter-rater reliability of the manual mobility tests of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS), and the temporal, parietal, and frontal bones, as assessed […]

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is frequently offered to people with nonspecific low back pain (LBP) but never compared with sham OMT for reducing LBP-specific activity limitations. The objective of this RCT was to compare the efficacy of standard OMT vs sham OMT for reducing LBP-specific activity limitations at 3 months in persons with nonspecific subacute […]

Central sensitization is increasingly interpreted as central nervous system hyperexcitability accounting for a general increase in sensitivity, and used to explain a variety of pain and non-pain symptoms. In this commentary, we argue that such a broad interpretation might not be clinically useful because it fails to distinguish one patient from another based on pathophysiological […]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes held by a group of Italian osteopaths toward osteopathic evaluation, treatment, and management in the neonatal and pediatric field … ABSTRACT

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) is largely supported across healthcare professions, its implementation in manual therapy professions such as osteopathy remains limited and debated. There is currently little knowledge of how Spanish osteopaths relate to EBP. The main aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes, skills and use of EBP among Spanish osteopaths. A secondary […]

Healthcare providers’ attitudes and beliefs might influence patients’ attitudes and beliefs as well as their management approach. It was hypothesised that osteopaths have a more biopsychosocial mindset towards chronic low back pain (CLBP) because of their holistic reasoning. The primary aim of the study was to assess the beliefs of osteopaths registered in Spain about […]