Manual Therapy Research Methods in Animal Models, Focusing on Soft Tissues.

Manual therapies have been practiced for centuries, yet little research has been performed to understand their efficacy and almost no animal research has been performed to inform mechanisms of action. The methods of manual therapy practice are quite varied and present a challenge for scientists to model the treatments and perform research using rodents. In this perspective we present a descriptive analysis of the complexity of the treatments, highlighting the role of tissue mechanics and physics.

Manual therapy prevents onset of nociceptor activity, sensorimotor dysfunction, and neural fibrosis induced by a volitional repetitive task.

Painful and disabling musculoskeletal disorders remain prevalent. In rats trained to perform repetitive tasks leading to signs and dysfunction similar to those in humans, we tested whether manual therapy would prevent the development of the pathologies and symptoms. We collected behavioral, electrophysiological, and histological data from control rats, rats that trained for 5 weeks before performing a high-repetition high-force (HRHF) task for 3 weeks untreated, and trained rats that performed the task for 3 weeks while being treated 3x/week using modeled manual therapy (MMT) to the forearm (HRHF + MMT).

Attenuation of postoperative adhesions using a modeled manual therapy.

Postoperative adhesions are pathological attachments that develop between abdominopelvic structures following surgery. Considered unavoidable and ubiquitous, postoperative adhesions lead to bowel obstructions, infertility, pain, and reoperations. As such, they represent a substantial health care challenge.

A Novel Method for Evaluating Postoperative Adhesions in Rats.

Unlabelled: Purpose/Aim: Postoperative adhesions remain an undesirable and commonly symptomatic side effect of abdominopelvic surgeries. Animal models of postoperative adhesions typically yield heterogeneous adhesions throughout the abdominal cavity and are not easily quantified. Here we present a novel method of postoperative adhesion assessment and report its reliability and measurement error.

Visceral massage reduces postoperative ileus in a rat model.

Objective: Abdominal surgery invariably causes a temporary reduction of normal intestinal motility, called postoperative ileus. Postoperative ileus extends hospital stays, increases the costs of hospitalization, and may contribute to the formation of postoperative adhesions. We designed experiments to determine if visceral massage affects postoperative ileus in a rat model.

Visceral mobilization can lyse and prevent peritoneal adhesions in a rat model.

Objective: Peritoneal adhesions are almost ubiquitous following surgery. Peritoneal adhesions can lead to bowel obstruction, digestive problems, infertility, and pain, resulting in many hospital readmissions. Many approaches have been used to prevent or treat adhesions, but none offer reliable results.