OMT as an Adjunctive Treatment in MDD

NCT ID: NCT05065580

Last Updated: 2025-12-16

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

25 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-03-12

Study Completion Date

2023-03-23

Brief Summary

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participants will be receiving OMT 1x/week for 8 weeks. Each appointment with be a duration of 30 minutes. Patients will be required to fill out PHQ-9 and SSS-8 questionnaires before beginning the study and following the conclusion of the study.

Detailed Description

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Individuals will receive weekly OMT for a duration of 8 weeks. Primary assessment will be performed on initial visit, making note of the most severe somatic restrictions, but highest priority will be given to cervical and shoulder regions (most tension is noted here in patients with MDD). Focusing on only the cranial, cervical, and shoulder regions will allow for a more standardized approach to treatment.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is the manipulation of tissues (muscles, joints, fascia, etc.) that is used to help restore movement and function throughout the body by a combination of stretching, gentle pressure, and resistance. The techniques we have chosen to use will focus primarily on muscle and fascia in the cranial, cervical, and shoulder regions.

Cranial techniques used include:

Suboccipital release - this helps to relieve muscle and fascial tension surrounding the head and neck, patient is supine, physician places finger pads below occipital protuberance at the base of the occiput as patient's relaxes head and lets it rest on physician's finger pads, position is held until softening of musculature is felt

Vault hold - helps to restore cranial motion, patient is supine, physician places index finger on greater wing of sphenoid, middle finger on squamous portion of temporal bone, ring finger on mastoid process of temporal bone, and pinky finger on squamous portion of occipital bone, hands remain in this position to monitor cranial motion and determine if there is a dysfunction

They will NOT be performing any high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) techniques, which requires a rapid, therapeutic force within the motion of the joint (this is the technique that is often responsible for the "cracking" or "popping")

Conditions

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Major Depressive Disorder

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Low Somatic Symptom Score

Patients meeting PHQ-9 (Patient health Questionnaire)-9 with score greater than 10 with Somatic Symptom Score less than 7.

These patients will receive the OMT treatment protocol and PHQ-9 and SSS scales will be recorded at 0, 4, and 8 weeks.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Individuals will receive the following techniques during weekly OMT (osteopathic manipulative techniques) for a duration of 8 weeks: 1. Suboccipital release 2. Vault hold. 3. Soft tissue techniques at the cervical and shoulder region 4.There will be NO high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) techniques

High Somatic Symptom Score

Patients meeting PHQ-9 (Patient health Questionnaire)-9 with score greater than 10 with Somatic Symptom Score 8 or greater These patients will receive the OMT treatment protocol and PHQ-9 and SSS scales will be recorded at 0, 4, and 8 weeks.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Individuals will receive the following techniques during weekly OMT (osteopathic manipulative techniques) for a duration of 8 weeks: 1. Suboccipital release 2. Vault hold. 3. Soft tissue techniques at the cervical and shoulder region 4.There will be NO high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) techniques

Interventions

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Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment

Individuals will receive the following techniques during weekly OMT (osteopathic manipulative techniques) for a duration of 8 weeks: 1. Suboccipital release 2. Vault hold. 3. Soft tissue techniques at the cervical and shoulder region 4.There will be NO high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) techniques

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* patients 18-65, patients with diagnosis of MDD, PHQ-9 score \> 10 at screening and baseline

Exclusion Criteria

* history of mania, hypomania, or psychosis as defined in DSM V
* current substance abuse, including abuse within the previous 6 months
* patients with a cognitive disorder or dementia
* patients with other axis I diagnosis (anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, etc.) that was primary in the past 6 months
* receiving other forms of manual therapy during study
* authors belief that there was significant suicidal risk
* changes in medication or psychotherapy within 6 weeks of starting study or during study period
* history of migraines
* presence of any other significant organic disease (infectious, cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, etc.)
* other absolute contraindications to OMT (malignancy, infection, myelopathy, severe osteoporosis, increased ICP, intracranial bleeding, fractures, etc.)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Corewell Health South

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Lakeland Regional Healthcare

Saint Joseph, Michigan, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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EGME#05-2021

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id