Variations of high frequency parameter of heart rate variability following osteopathic manipulative treatment in healthy subjects compared to control group and sham therapy: randomized controlled trial
Fountiers in Neuroscience
To examine the effects of osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMTh) on heart rate variability (HRV), researchers at the Accademia Italiana Osteopatia Tradizionale in Pescara, Italy, and the Centre for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration in Pescara conducted a three-armed, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded study. Sixty-six healthy male and female subjects were randomized into three groups: In the first of two sessions, one group underwent standardized structural evaluations followed by need-based OMTh, and in the second session, the group underwent structural evaluations followed by protocoled sham treatment. For the next group, the protocol was reversed, with sham treatment provided in the first session and OMTh in the second. The third group received no intervention so that it could serve as a time control. The main outcomes measure of the study was HRV before, during and after intervention. The Italian researchers found that OMTh produced a statistically significant increase of parasympathetic activity and possibly a decrease of sympathetic activity. The results also indicated that OMTh reduced the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio and the detrended fluctuation scaling exponent. (This hyperlink is to the full-text version of «Variations of High Frequency Parameter of Heart Rate Variability Following Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Healthy Subjects Compared to Control Group and Sham Therapy: Randomized Controlled Trial.» For a review of this article by two Academy members, see «The Somatic Connection» in the January issue of The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. ) READ MORE