Diagnosing and treating upper back pain: insights from New Zealand's manipulative physiotherapists and osteopaths.

Background: Manual therapy is routinely used in the management of upper back pain (UBP), a disabling condition. However, the approach to diagnosis and treatment techniques used by manipulative physiotherapists and osteopaths is largely unknown.

Objectives: To explore knowledge about UBP, including diagnosis and treatment, by New Zealand (NZ) osteopaths and manipulative physiotherapists and to investigate differences (if any) in the self-reported approaches to diagnosis and management of UBP between the professions.

Mapping guideline-informed care for chronic non-specific low back pain with the biopsychosocial approach: A rapid review.

Background: Current evidence favors a multidisciplinary biopsychosocial approach to the management of chronic non-specific low back pain (CLBP). However, it is unclear whether such an approach is facilitated by current clinical guidelines. This rapid review set out to examine the extent to which clinical guideline recommendations for managing CLBP address domains of the biopsychosocial approach.

Attitudes, skills and implementation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey of licensed naprapaths in Sweden.

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is fundamental to the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective health care. Naprapaths, manual therapy providers that specialize in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, became a Swedish licensed health profession in 1994. This study investigated the attitudes, skills and implementation of EBP among licensed naprapaths in Sweden.

Effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment for pediatric conditions: A systematic review.

Background: Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is commonly used by osteopaths and osteopathic physicians to manage a large variety of pediatric complaints.

Objective: The current study reviewed the literature to determine the effectiveness of OMT for all pediatric complaints.

Methods: A systematic literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) unrestricted by language or publication status was performed in July 2020 in electronic and ongoing trials databases.

Skills, attitudes and uptake of evidence-based practice: a cross-sectional study of chiropractors in the Swedish Chiropractic Association.

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is integral to the delivery of high-quality health care. Chiropractic has been a licensed health profession in Sweden since 1989, but little is known of the uptake of EBP in this professional group. This study explored the self-reported skills, attitudes and uptake of EBP, and the enablers and barriers of EBP uptake, among licensed chiropractors in Sweden.

Dry cupping for musculoskeletal pain and range of motion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This review evaluated the efficacy and safety of western dry cupping methods for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and reduced range of motion.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed until April 2018 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) pertaining to musculoskeletal pain or reduced range of motion, treated with dry cupping. Outcomes were pain, functional status, range of motion and adverse events.

An investigation of Australian osteopaths' attitudes, skills and utilisation of evidence-based practice: a national cross-sectional survey.

Background: Osteopaths are an integral member of the health care team, playing a pivotal role in the provision of care for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Osteopaths, like other health care providers, are under increasing pressure to deliver evidence-based health care and to improve patient outcomes. However, the extent to which osteopaths engage in evidence-based practice (EBP), particularly in Australia, is not well understood.

Building a Collaborative Model of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Pelvic Girdle Pain to Understand the Diverse Perspectives of Experts.

Background: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction/pain are considered frequent contributors to low back pain (LBP). Like other persistent pain conditions, PGP is increasingly recognized as a multifactorial problem involving biological, psychological, and social factors. Perspectives differ between experts and a diversity of treatments (with variable degrees of evidence) have been utilized.

Attitudes, skills and use of evidence-based practice among UK osteopaths: a national cross-sectional survey.

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a clinical decision-making framework that supports quality improvement in healthcare. While osteopaths are key providers of musculoskeletal healthcare, the extent to which osteopaths engage in EBP is unclear. Thus, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate UK osteopaths' attitudes, skills and use of EBP, and perceived barriers and facilitators of EBP uptake.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment for low back and pelvic girdle pain during and after pregnancy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint during pregnancy. This study examined the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for LBP in pregnant or postpartum women.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials unrestricted by language were reviewed.

Acute electromyographic responses of deep thoracic paraspinal muscles to spinal manual therapy interventions. An experimental, randomized cross-over study.

This single group, randomized, cross-over study explored whether manual therapy alters motor tone of deep thoracic back muscles by examining resting electromyographic activity (EMG) after 2 types of manual therapy and a sham control intervention. Twenty-two participants with thoracic spinal pain (15 females, 7 males, mean age 28.1 ± 6.

Muscle energy technique for non-specific low-back pain.

Background: Low-back pain (LBP) is responsible for considerable personal suffering due to pain and reduced function, as well as the societal burden due to costs of health care and lost work productivity. For the vast majority of people with LBP, no specific anatomical cause can be reliably identified. For these people with non-specific LBP there are numerous treatment options, few of which have been shown to be effective in reducing pain and disability.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment for nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Nonspecific back pain is common, disabling, and costly. Therefore, we assessed effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in the management of nonspecific low back pain (LBP) regarding pain and functional status.

Methods: A systematic literature search unrestricted by language was performed in October 2013 in electronic and ongoing trials databases.

Effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative therapy for managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review.

Context: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and often lifelong functional gastrointestinal disorder. There is a scarcity of effective management options for IBS.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMTh) for managing the symptoms of IBS.

Approach to low back pain - osteopathy.

Case A man aged 42 years, who works as a police officer, presented with severe lower back pain, which he had experienced for 24 hours after spending the previous day helping his brother to move house. He had difficulty ambulating and most movements aggravated the pain. There were no lower limb symptoms and no red flags present on history or examination.

The effect of muscle energy technique on corticospinal and spinal reflex excitability in asymptomatic participants.

The aim of the current study was to investigate, using a controlled, repeated measure design, the neurophysiological responses following an acute bout of muscle energy technique (MET). Transcranial magnetic stimulation elicited motor evoked potentials using a 110 mm double cone coil placed over the motor area of the brain, while Hoffman reflexes (H-reflex) were measured from the posterior tibial nerve using electrical stimulation. Responses were measured using surface electromyography electrodes placed over the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle in 12 asymptomatic volunteers.

Assessing fitness-to-practice of overseas-trained health practitioners by Australian registration & accreditation bodies.

Background: Assessment of fitness-to-practice of health professionals trained overseas and who wish to practice in Australia is undertaken by a range of organisations. These organisations conduct assessments using a range of methods. However there is very little published about how these organisations conduct their assessments.

The effect of lumbosacral manipulation on corticospinal and spinal reflex excitability on asymptomatic participants.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation to the lumbosacral joint on corticospinal excitability, as measured by motor evoked potentials (MEPs) using transcranial magnetic stimulation, and spinal reflex excitability, as measured by the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex).

Methods: In a randomized, controlled, crossover design, 14 asymptomatic volunteers (mean age, 23 ± 5.4 years; 10 men; 4 women) were measured for MEPs and H-reflexes immediately before and after a randomly allocated intervention.

Magnetic resonance imaging of subjects with acute unilateral neck pain and restricted motion: a prospective case series.

Background Context: Zygapophyseal joint injury and inflammation have been proposed as causes of acute benign spinal pain, but this etiology has not been investigated.

Purpose: To investigate the presence of periarticular tissue inflammation and zygapophysial joint synovitis in the cervical region using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in subjects with acute unilateral cervical pain and limited motion (acute "crick in the neck" <48 hours from onset), as well as the feasibility of recruiting these subjects.

Study Design/setting: Three-month case series in a university setting and private radiology clinic.

Resting electromyographic activity of deep thoracic transversospinalis muscles identified as abnormal with palpation.

Context: In the 1940s, osteopathic researchers suggested that paraspinal tissue abnormality was associated with spontaneous muscle activity, but few studies have since re-examined these reports.

Objective: To determine whether abnormal motor activity plays a role in deep paraspinal tissues that appear abnormal to palpation.

Methods: Using an observational study design, the PVG of participants with thoracic pain were palpated by two examiners for consensus on the most marked level of tissue abnormality.

Spinal and sacroiliac assessment and treatment techniques used by osteopathic physicians in the United States.

Background: Osteopathic manipulative medicine texts and educators advocate a range of approaches for physical assessment and treatment, but little is known about their use by osteopathic physicians in the United States.

Methods: A web-based survey using a 5-point Likert scale was developed and e-mailed to 777 practicing osteopathic physician members of the American Academy of Osteopathy. Responses in the "frequently" and "always" categories were combined for reporting purposes.

A comparison of two muscle energy techniques for increasing flexibility of the hamstring muscle group.

Variations in the application of muscle energy technique (MET) for increasing the extensibility of muscles have been advocated, but little evidence exists to support the relative merit of a particular approach. This study investigated two types of muscle energy techniques that have been advocated in the osteopathic literature that differ primarily in the duration of the post-contraction stretch phase. Forty asymptomatic participants (mean age=22.

The effect of talo-crural joint manipulation on range of motion at the ankle joint in subjects with a history of ankle injury.

Introduction: There is little research available on the effects of peripheral joint manipulation. Only a few studies have examined the effect of manipulation on ankle range of motion, with conflicting results. This study aimed to determine whether a single high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust manipulation to the talo-crural joint altered ankle range of motion in subjects with a history of lateral ligament sprain.