Advanced search

Search results      


Effect of OMT on Heart Rate in Normotensive and Prehypertensive Individuals

Journal: The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Date: 2012/01, 112(1):Pages: 36. doi: Subito , type of study: controlled clinical trial

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2012.112.1.34/html)

Keywords:

autonomic nervous system [103]
controlled clinical trial [290]
heart rate [73]
OMT [3102]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3124]

Abstract:

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that by using osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), one is able to target the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and thus alter (ie, increase or decrease) heart rate in normotensive individuals. The regulation of heart rate is under the control of the ANS with automaticity of the cardiac pacemaker cells being responsible for the heart's baseline rhythmic contraction. The sympathetic (nerve fibers from T1-T5) and parasympathetic (vagus nerve) branches of the ANS increase and decrease heart rate, respectively. Using heart rate variability analysis, Henley et al quantitatively demonstrated that cervical myofascial release is able to shift the sympathovagal balance from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system. Methods: Heart rate data were collected by measuring the participants' cardiac pulse taken during our NYIT/IRB-approved study on the effect of OMT on blood pressure. We conducted a sham vs OMT single-blinded pilot study. We recruited 21 adults aged between 18 and 65 years who had a blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg. All participants signed the consent forms before enrollment. We excluded adults with symptoms of severe hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, syncope episodes, recreational drug use, or family history of sudden cardiac death. The study was carried out during a 6-week period in which participants received 2 weeks of OMT vs a benign sham procedure. Techniques included rib raising, thoracic outlet release, suboccipital release and OA decompression. We measured heart rate and blood pressure before and after every visit. Results: Results from t tests for immediate, short-term, and long-term effects on heart rate (n=21) showed no statistically significant difference between OMT (n1=11) and sham treatments (n2=10) in normotensive or prehypertensive participants. P values for difference of pulse immediately, short-term, and long-term were .953, .190, and .863, respectively. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated no significant immediate, short-term, or long-term effects of OMT on heart rate. We believe the treatment aimed at normalizing autonomic control did not demonstrate a measurable effect because our participants were healthy without any documented autonomic dysfunction. For future studies, we will consider focusing on 1 branch of the ANS at a time (eg, parasympathetic vs sympathetic), recruiting participants who may have abnormal heart rates, and applying various OMT techniques to determine potential outcome differences.


Search results      

 
 
 






  • ImpressumLegal noticeDatenschutz


ostlib.de/data_qtkznudpyamcvhwxbesf



Supported by

OSTLIB recommends