Back pain: does osteopathy help?

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MunichMany sufferers simply cannot get rid of back pain. Some seek help from an osteopath - at least those who are patient can benefit.

Australian researchers led by John Panagopoulos from the University of Sydney investigated in a small study whether so-called visceral manipulation - a special osteopathic technique - helps patients with chronic back pain.

Glued inner workings

The theory behind the concept: organs and the musculoskeletal system are linked by ligaments and so-called fasciae. These are thin layers of connective tissue that surround every structure in the body.

If the organs are disturbed in their mobility due to adhesions with the surrounding tissue, this can be noticeable through pain, among other things. The osteopath tries to remedy this through careful manipulation, for example external pressure on the abdomen.

Osteopathic placebo

This was also the case with 64 patients with lumbar spine pain who had agreed to take part in the Australian study. All patients received standard physiotherapy therapy with massages, muscle exercises and back training. Half of the participants also received osteopathic treatment in the form of visceral manipulation. The others only received a sham application: the osteopath only touched them lightly and only in regions unrelated to the therapy.

The researchers had previously ensured that the participants did not recognize the difference between real and sham treatment as such.

After six weeks, the patients rated their back pain on a ten-point scale. But at this point in time, the researchers could not find any difference: In both groups of participants, the self-assessment of pain had dropped from 5.3 to 2.3 points on average.

Good things take time

Things looked different after a year: The patients who had received a real visceral manipulation were much better. They stated that they only felt 1.5 points on the pain scale. Her fellow sufferers who had only received placebo treatment had worsened their pain again. They now averaged 3.2 points, 1.7 points higher than the treated patients.

Panagopoulos and colleagues therefore recommend that if classical physiotherapeutic therapies do not respond adequately, you should also try osteopathy. (cf)

Source: J. Panagopoulos et al: Does the addition of visceral manipulation alter outcomes for patients with low back pain? A randomized placebo controlled trial Article first published online: 7 NOV 2014, DOI: 10.1002 / ejp.614

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