A Pilot MRI Study of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00562562

Acronym

MRI-OMT

Enrollment

Registered

2007-11-22

Start date

2007-09-30

Completion date

2008-12-31

Last updated

2017-04-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Low Back Pain

Brief summary

This is a pilot project intended to determine the feasibility of detecting soft tissue changes in response to osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). MRIs of the lumbar and pelvic regions of low back pain (LBP) patients will be taken once before and at two different time points after OMT. Images obtained will be quantitatively analyzed for changes in the volumes of back muscles and for changes (T2 signals) indicative of activity levels or pathological conditions. Electromyography (EMG) will be used as an independent measure of back muscle activity for comparison with MRI results.

Interventions

OTHERosteopathic manipulative treatment

Treatment will focus on the thoracolumbar junction, L5, the sacrum, and the pubes. Treatment will primarily utilize two techniques, muscle energy and ligamentous-articular release, but will be tailored to the findings of the individual patient.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 55 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Adult patients (18-55) * Patients with LBP with acute symptoms (within last 3 weeks) * Test positive for lumbar somatic dysfunction

Exclusion criteria

* History of any spinal injuries/surgeries * Positive findings of frank neurological signs during physical exam * Any other orthopedic or neurological impairment * Unsuitable for MRI imaging: * Cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator * Severe Claustrophobia * Injured by a metallic object that was not removed * Cochlear (ear) implants * Surgery involving a metallic implant (e.g. knee replacement) * Weight more than 300 lbs/136 kg (weight limit for scanner bed)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
MRI T2 signal changes	within 72 hours

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
MRI anatomic changes and EMG changes	within 72 hours

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026