Therapeutic approaches and conceptions of practice of osteopaths in Australia - a national cross-sectional study and exploratory factor analysis of the Osteo-TAQ.

Background: Health professionals develop their own approach to patient care based on education, experience and philosophical stance. Literature suggests that this practice approach informs patient care, and clinical outcomes. The Osteopaths' Therapeutic Approaches Questionnaire (Osteo-TAQ) is a novel 36-item instrument developed from qualitative grounded theory research with osteopaths in the United Kingdom.

Must The Show Go On? A Qualitative Study Exploring Barriers And Enablers To Manual Therapists' Care Of Dancers.

Introduction: Dance Medicine is a growing discipline, and healthcare for dancers requires appreciating particularities of their artistic craft. Manual therapists (MTs) are often dancers' first choice when seeking care. Whilst dancers' experiences of injury and healthcare have been extensively researched, little is known of MTs' perspectives of caring for them.

Overcoming barriers to equality, diversity, inclusivity, and sense of belonging in healthcare education: the Underrepresented Groups' Experiences in Osteopathic Training (UrGEnT) mixed methods study.

Background: Individuals from minority groups have historically faced social injustices. Those from underrepresented groups have been less likely to access both healthcare services and higher education. Little is known about the experiences of underrepresented students during their undergraduate studies in osteopathy in the UK.

Fluid professional boundaries: ethnographic observations of co-located chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists.

Background: Chiropractors, osteopaths and physiotherapists (COPs) can assess and manage musculoskeletal conditions with similar manual or physical therapy techniques. This overlap in scope of practice raises questions about the boundaries between the three professions. Clinical settings where they are co-located are one of several possible influences on professional boundaries and may provide insight into the nature of these boundaries and how they are managed by clinicians themselves.

The role of micro-RNAs in neuropathic pain-a scoping review.

Neuropathic pain can be caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory system characterised by pathological neuro-immune alterations. At a molecular level, microRNAs (miRNAs) act as regulators of gene expression orchestrating both immune and neuronal processes. Thus, miRNAs may act as essential modulators of processes for the establishment and maintenance of neuropathic pain.

Changes in biochemical markers following a spinal manipulation - a systematic review update.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to update the current level of evidence for spinal manipulation in influencing various biochemical markers in healthy and/or symptomatic population.

Methods: This is a systematic review update. Various databases were searched (inception till May 2023) and fifteen trials (737 participants) that met the inclusion criteria were included in the review.

The attitudes and beliefs about manual therapy held by patients experiencing low back pain: a scoping review.

Background: Manual therapy (MT) is commonly used to manage low back pain (LBP) and involves a complex interaction between the practitioner and patient. Attitudes and beliefs about MT may play a role in the outcomes seen in patients experiencing LBP. However, knowledge of patients' attitudes and beliefs regarding MT is currently limited.

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.

Avoiding nocebo and other undesirable effects in chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy: An invitation to reflect.

Introduction: While the placebo effect is increasingly recognised as a contributor to treatment effects in clinical practice, the nocebo and other undesirable effects are less well explored and likely underestimated. In the chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy professions, some aspects of historical models of care may arguably increase the risk of nocebo effects.

Purpose: In this masterclass article, clinicians, researchers, and educators are invited to reflect on such possibilities, in an attempt to stimulate research and raise awareness for the mitigation of such undesirable effects.

When worlds collide: Experiences of physiotherapists, chiropractors, and osteopaths working together.

Background: In Australia, people with musculoskeletal conditions frequently seek care from chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists. Intertwined histories, distinct philosophies and practical tensions characterise relationships between these three professions, yet little is known about contact or collaboration between individual clinicians.

Objectives: To explore the experiences of osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors who work together in the same clinic location and explore their attitudes towards each other.

Evidence-based practice among Italian osteopaths: a national cross-sectional survey.

Background: While evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely accepted across healthcare professions, research investigating its implementation in manual therapy professions such as osteopathy is limited. The primary aim of this study was to investigate Italian osteopaths' attitudes, skills, and use of EBP. A secondary purpose was to understand the obstacles and enablers to EBP adoption in the Italian osteopathic context.

Barriers and facilitators experienced by osteopaths in implementing a biopsychosocial (BPS) framework of care when managing people with musculoskeletal pain - a mixed methods systematic review.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines commonly recommend adopting a biopsychosocial (BPS) framework by practitioners managing musculoskeletal pain. However, it remains unclear how osteopaths implement a BPS framework in the management of musculoskeletal pain. Hence, the objective of this review was to systematically appraise the literature on the current practices, barriers and facilitators experienced by osteopaths in implementing a BPS framework of care when managing people with musculoskeletal pain.

A national cross-sectional survey of the attitudes, skills and use of evidence-based practice amongst Spanish osteopaths.

Background: Although evidence-based practice (EBP) is largely supported across healthcare professions, its implementation in manual therapy professions such as osteopathy remains limited and debated. There is currently little knowledge of how Spanish osteopaths relate to EBP.

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes, skills and use of EBP among Spanish osteopaths.

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.

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.

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.

'I need to do another course' - Italian physiotherapists' knowledge and beliefs when assessing psychosocial factors in patients presenting with chronic low back pain.

Objectives: Psychosocial factors play an important role in the development and subsequent recovery of individuals suffering from chronic low back pain (CLBP). The study explored physiotherapists' personal beliefs and knowledge about the biopsychosocial model and the different ways they assess and manage psychosocial factors in patients presenting with CLBP.

Methods: Qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews and a constructivist grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis.

Professional ballet dancers' experience of injury and osteopathic treatment in the UK: A qualitative study.

Objectives: Professional dancers suffer significant musculoskeletal injuries during the course of their careers. Treatment-seeking behaviour is important in all patient populations, yet is rarely investigated amongst professional dancers. This qualitative study aimed to form a better understanding of how dancers decide to seek treatment, and in particular to explore their experiences of receiving osteopathic care for their injuries.

T4 syndrome - A distinct theoretical concept or elusive clinical entity? A case report.

T4 syndrome has existed as a clinical concept for more than three decades and it has been identified as a source of upper extremity (UE) symptoms. This case report explores the clinical reasoning in the diagnoses and management of a patient with symptoms consistent with T4-type syndrome and critically discusses the concept of T4 syndrome using recent research to help explain the clinical presentation. Manual therapy treatment focused on stimulation of the sympathetic ganglia, decreasing local upper thoracic pain and UE referral pattern noted during passive examination.

Clinical decision-making and therapeutic approaches in osteopathy - a qualitative grounded theory study.

There is limited understanding of how osteopaths make decisions in relation to clinical practice. The aim of this research was to construct an explanatory theory of the clinical decision-making and therapeutic approaches of experienced osteopaths in the UK. Twelve UK registered osteopaths participated in this constructivist grounded theory qualitative study.