Research Digest

1. Clinical Preceptors’ Perceptions of Empathy: The Empathy in Osteopathic Training and Education (EMOTE) Study

   Physician empathy influences rapport with patients and improves outcomes, but it is not well understood as an outcome of osteopathic medical education. The objective of this study was to determine how clerkship preceptors at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine-CA (TUCOM) in Vallejo define empathy and how they compare observed empathetic behavior of TUCOM students with […]

2. Osteopathic and Allopathic Physician Interpersonal Manner, Empathy, and Communication Style and Clinical Status of Their Patients: A Pain Registry–Based Study

   Comparisons of osteopathic physicians (ie, DOs) and allopathic physicians (ie, MDs) on interpersonal manner, including empathy and communication style, have been limited by such methodologic issues as self-assessment and a focus on medical students rather than practicing physicians. The objective of this study was to compare perceptions of the interpersonal manner, empathy, and communication style of […]

3. Spinal manipulation frequency and dosage effects on clinical and physiological outcomes: a scoping review

   The burden of musculoskeletal disorders increases every year, with low back and neck pain being the most frequently reported conditions for seeking manual therapy treatment. In recent years, manual therapy research has begun exploring the dose-response relationship between spinal manipulation treatment characteristics and both clinical and physiological response to treatment. The purpose of this scoping review […]

4. Do empathic osteopaths achieve better clinical results? An observational feasibility study

   Empathy plays a role in medical care. Studies have showed that higher empathy levels of physicians correlates with better patient outcomes. The role of empathy in osteopathic practice has been poorly investigated. The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of analysing the link between the empathy of osteopaths and the improvement in […]

5. Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment on patients with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

   The objective of this study was to describe the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment in patients affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) … ABSTRACT

6. Effect of osteopathic treatment on a scar assessed by thermal infrared camera, pilot study

   Scar formation is influenced by mechanical forces and may generate mechanical tension. Scars induce a temperature difference in the body objectified by thermal imaging camera. The osteopath’s task is to ensure the tissue good mobility in the body. The aim of this study was to measure the influence of osteopathic treatment on a scar by […]

7. High-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation (HVLA) does not alter three-dimensional position of sacroiliac joint in healthy men: A quasi-experimental study

   The impact of high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulations on the behavior of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) mobility in individuals submitted to an osteopathic intervention has not been sufficiently investigated. Furthermore, there is no standard agreement on the description of the acute effects of HLVA with regards to the mobility of the SIJ through three-dimensional motion analysis. The […]

8. Stress axis and osteopathy: A dual hormone approach

   This review revisits the function of the HPA axis in pain and inflammation, presents a dual hormone approach in measuring the HPA axis and evaluates the implications for osteopathic practice and research … ABSTRACT

9. Effect of Osteopathic Obstetrical Management on the Duration of Labor in the Inpatient Setting: A Prospective Study and Literature Review

   Several studies have investigated the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on labor duration, but the outcomes remain ambiguous. Confounding the relationship between OMT and labor duration is the lack of standardization between treatment settings, gestational ages at the time of treatment, OMT techniques, and overall obstetrical management principles from foundational and modern osteopathic approaches. […]

10. Osteopathic Cranial Manipulative Medicine and the Blood-Brain Barrier: A Mechanistic Approach to Alzheimer Prevention

    Recent studies have demonstrated that blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may be implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease, thus establishing a link between disease manifestation and compromised neurovasculature. The authors identify relationships between Alzheimer disease and BBB breakdown, the response of the BBB to increased cerebral blood flow and shear stress, and the impact of […]