General Osteopathic Treatment is Associated with Postural Changes

Aim: To investigate whether standard general osteopathic treatment can influence the static configuration of the vertebral column or pelvis.
Material and Methods: One hundred thirteen persons, 72 females and 41 males, either symptom-free volunteers or patients with mild idiopathic back pain, were investigated using the DIERS formetric® system, before and immediately after a single session of general osteopathic treatment. Variables of static assessment of the thoraco-lumbar vertebral column and of the pelvis were compared before and after treatment, using paired statistics.
Results: There was no difference between observations in the healthy controls and the symptomatic patients. The sagittal imbalance decreased significantly (two sided student’s t-test: P=0.034), apical deviation diminished (one sided student’s t-test: P= 0.047) after treatment and lordotic apex position increased (one sided student’s t-test: P=0.028). Since such changes have not been observed in a previous trial of repeat measurements without treatment, the observations in the present study suggest an effect of treatment. This effect was, however, limited to persons with sagittal imbalance not exceeding the 62nd percentile.
Conclusion: General osteopathic treatment is associated with reduced sagittal imbalance and apical deviation and increased lordotic apex position, but this effect is demonstrable only in persons whose sagittal imbalance ranks in the lower or median tertile.