The Immediate Effect of an Osteopathic Manual Treatment on Blood Pressure in Adults With Hypertension - a Pilot Study.

The Immediate Effect of an Osteopathic Manual Treatment on Blood Pressure in Adults With Hypertension - a Pilot Study

The aim of this study was to determine if 4 manual osteopathic treatment techniques; Spinal manipulation, stretch intrathoracic fascia, sternum recoil and cranial base release has an immediate effect on blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive adults.

30 hypertensive adults (age=50.76±8.66 years, height= 1.75±0.082 m, weight=89.5±19.08 kg), were randomly assigned into one of two equally sized groups; a non- intervention and an intervention group in which patients received 4 manual techniques. Outcome measures included systolic- and diastolic BP pre-treatment and post-treatment 1-,5-, and 10-minutes. Two-way mixed ANOVA was used for statistical analysis.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults 18-60 years old.
• Primary hypertension.
• Hypertension not more than grade 2, defined as: Systolic BP from 135-174 mmHg and diastolic BP from 85-104 mmHg.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hypertension grade 3, defined as: Systolic BP from >175 mmHg and diastolic BP >105 mmHg, due to high risk of developing stroke, apoplexy and myocardial infarct.
• Positive hepato-jugular-reflux test, as a safety-test, to test pathological conditions of the heart.
• History of liver, kidney or known heart diseases, diagnosed by family physician as these conditions can contribute to secondary hypertension.
• Presence of contraindications for manual treatment, such as (but not limited to); infections, neurological symptoms, inflammation, haemophilia, ankylosis, prosthesis, pregnancy, cancer, osteoporosis, trauma and the use of blood-thinning medicines or corticosteroids.