Osteopathic Family Physician, 2015/07, 7(4):30-35, type of study: ,ret,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Free full text   (https://ofpjournal.com/index.php/ofp/article/view/398)

Keywords:

concussion [38]
sports [158]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3945]
OMT [3924]
athlete [55]
retrospective study [339]

Abstract:

Background: Osteopathic manipulative therapy has been reported to improve dizziness and neck pain, which are symptoms commonly seen in concussion. Conceivably OMT could be used to treat similar symptoms secondary to concussion. To our knowledge there has not been any studies that linked OMT to the reduction of concussive symptoms. Objective: To retrospectively examine the effect of OMT in reducing concussive symptoms in athletes. Methods: Records included in this retrospective chart review were those that had a diagnosis of concussion sustained during athletics and required that the patient had completed the symptom checklist found on the Standardized Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT2) prior to the visit as well as completing another SCAT2 symptom checklist following OMT. Scores from each patient’s pre-treatment SCAT2 assessment were then compared to their post-treatment scores. Results: A total of 26 patient charts met selection criteria and were included in this retrospective study. Summary descriptive statistics were generated. Paired sample t-tests revealed that OMT improved each of the 22 self-reported symptoms listed on the SCAT2, with 10 symptoms (45.4%) demonstrating statistically significant improvement (p<.05). These symptoms included: headache, pressure in head, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, feeling in a fog, don’t feel right, difficulty concentrating, fatigue or low energy, irritability, and sadness. Conclusion: OMT was effective at reducing overall symptoms related to concussion. A substantial subset of concussive symptoms on the SCAT2 had significant reduction with the use of OMT. The integration of OMT into concussion management appears to immediately reduce symptom burden. © 2015 ACOFP. All rights reserved.