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Effects of Osteopathy in Autonomic Nervous System

Effects of Osteopathy in Autonomic Nervous System: a Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05895149
Enrollment
41
Registered
2023-06-08
Start date
2023-09-01
Completion date
2024-07-31
Last updated
2025-02-11

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

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Autonomic nervous system, Heart rate variability, Osteopathy, Flying buttress

Brief summary

The most important regulatory system in the body is the autonomic nervous system. There are several studies that evaluate the effect of techniques applied at the base of the skull on the autonomic nervous system. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the flying buttress technique on the autonomic nervous system.

Detailed description

The most important homeostatic regulatory system in the body is the autonomic nervous system (ANS), as it coordinates functions of many organs and tissues, including the cardiac muscle. ANS regulation in most visceral organs reflects a balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation. In the neural control of the heart, there is a balance between sympathetic excitation and vagal inhibition of sinoatrial node activity, which contribute to fluctuations in heartbeat, known as heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is considered a valuable non-invasive measurement tool for assessing ANS function, as it is relatively simple and quickly performed. Previous studies provide evidence that osteopathic treatment is associated with changes in HRV that appear to be indicative of increased cardiac vagal modulation in various conditions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the osteopathic technique flying buttress on the ANS through HRV.

Interventions

OTHERFlying buttress technique

With the volunteer in a supine position, the researcher who applied the technique positioned himself standing at the head of the massage table, supporting the patient's head. He contacted the occipital region, near the occipital-mastoid suture, with the thenar and hypothenar region of his right hand. He contacted the mastoid process of the contralateral temporal bone with the thenar and hypothenar region of his left hand. The forearms were positioned in a straight line. After a slight initial compression, the researcher applied a rhythmic pumping motion with both upper limbs in a convergent direction. The pressure applied was due to the rhythmic movement of the researcher's body. The technique was performed bilaterally and each one lasted for 2 minutes

With the volunteer in a supine position, the researcher placed the palms of their hands on the patient's shoulders. The palm of the hand rested on the acromioclavicular joint with the rest of the hand relaxed. The placebo technique was performed for 4 minutes.

Sponsors

Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Each participant will pull from a bag within equally number of folded papers with letter 1 to 50 and it will be handled to the investigator. The even numbers correspond to the control group and the odd numbers to the experimental group.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Volunteers between 18 and 35 years of age; * Ability to maintain a supine position for 30 minutes; * Healthy volunteers.

Exclusion criteria

* Presence of acute or chronic pain; * Recent cranial and/or cervical injury; * History of cranial and/or cervical surgery; * Oncological disease; * Brain injury; * Cardiovascular pathology; * Neurological pathology; * Psychological/emotional disorder; * Pregnancy; * Manual therapy treatment in the last month; * Consumption of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, chocolate, and sodas in the last 48 hours; * Consumption of caffeine on the day of the study; * Extreme physical exercise in the last 24 hours; * Less than 6 hours of sleep on the night preceding the study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from baseline in HRV at immediately post-interventionimmediately post-interventionThe R-R intervals will be collected using a Polar H10 chest strap (Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland), and subsequently, the rMSSD and pNN50 value will be calculated using Software Kubios HRV Standard, version 3.5.0 (Biosignal Analysis and Medical Imaging Group, Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland)
Change from baseline in HRV at 7 min post-intervention7 min post-interventionThe R-R intervals will be collected using a Polar H10 chest strap (Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland), and subsequently, the rMSSD and pNN50 value will be calculated using Software Kubios HRV Standard, version 3.5.0 (Biosignal Analysis and Medical Imaging Group, Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland)

Countries

Portugal

Outcome results

None listed

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