Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2012/02-04, 20(1-2):16-22. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2011.10.008, type of study: ,cct,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Free full text   (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229911001609)

Keywords:

exercise therapy [25]
forced expiratory volume [4]
lung [42]
physical fitness [3]
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [31]
residual volume [2]
respiratory function tests [5]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3945]
OMT [3924]
controlled clinical trial [324]

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Few and contrastingly data are available about use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN: Comparing the effects of the combination of pulmonary rehabilitation and OMT compared with pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with severely impaired COPD. SETTING: Rehabilitative pulmonary department. INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent exercise training, OMT, educational support and nutritional and psychological counselling. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Exercise capacity through 6 min walk test (6MWT--primary outcome) and pulmonary function test (secondary outcomes) were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the training. Patients were randomly assigned to receive PR+soft manipulation (G1) or OMT+PR (G2) for 5 days/week for 4 weeks. RESULTS: 20 stable COPD patients (5 female--mean age, 63.8+/-5.1 years; FEV1 26.9+/-6.3% of predicted) referred for in-patient pulmonary rehabilitation were evaluated. Respect to the baseline, 6 MWT statistically improved in both group. In particular, G2 group gained 72.5+/-7.5 m (p=0.01) and G1 group 23.7+/-9.7 m. Between group comparison showed a difference of 48.8 m (95% CI: 17 to 80.6 m, p=0.04). Moreover, in G2 group we showed a decrease in residual volume (RV--from 4.4+/-1.5 l to 3.9+/-1.5 l, p=0.05). Between group comparison showed an important difference (-0.44 l; 95% CI: -0.26 to -0.62 l, p=0.001). Furthermore, only in G2 group we showed an increase in FEV1. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that OMT+PR may improve exercise capacity and reduce RV in severely impaired COPD patients with respect to PR alone.