Effects of Osteopathy in Autonomic Nervous System

NCT ID: NCT05895149

Last Updated: 2025-02-11

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

41 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-09-01

Study Completion Date

2024-07-31

Brief Summary

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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

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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.

Conditions

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Healthy

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors
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.

Study Groups

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Experimental group

In each participant, HRV will be measured for 2 minutes, then the flying buttress technique will be applied. After the technique, HRV will be recorded for 2 minutes, and 5 minutes later, HRV will be measured again for 2 minutes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Flying buttress technique

Intervention Type OTHER

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

Control group

In each participant, HRV will be measured for 2 minutes, then the placebo technique will be applied. After the technique, HRV will be recorded for 2 minutes, and 5 minutes later, HRV will be measured again for 2 minutes.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo technique

Intervention Type OTHER

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.

Interventions

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Flying 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

Intervention Type OTHER

Placebo technique

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.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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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.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

35 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Natália Maria Oliveira Campelo

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Natália MO Campelo, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico do Porto

Locations

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Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico do Porto

Porto, Porto District, Portugal

Site Status

Countries

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Portugal

References

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Arienti C, Farinola F, Ratti S, Dacco S, Fasulo L. Variations of HRV and skin conductance reveal the influence of CV4 and Rib Raising techniques on autonomic balance: A randomized controlled clinical trial. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2020 Oct;24(4):395-401. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.07.002. Epub 2020 Jul 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33218540 (View on PubMed)

Cardoso-de-Mello-E-Mello-Ribeiro AP, Rodriguez-Blanco C, Riquelme-Agullo I, Heredia-Rizo AM, Ricard F, Oliva-Pascual-Vaca A. Effects of the Fourth Ventricle Compression in the Regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System: A Randomized Control Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:148285. doi: 10.1155/2015/148285. Epub 2015 Jun 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26199632 (View on PubMed)

Carnevali L, Lombardi L, Fornari M, Sgoifo A. Exploring the Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment on Autonomic Function Through the Lens of Heart Rate Variability. Front Neurosci. 2020 Oct 7;14:579365. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.579365. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33117124 (View on PubMed)

Curi ACC, Maior Alves AS, Silva JG. Cardiac autonomic response after cranial technique of the fourth ventricle (cv4) compression in systemic hypertensive subjects. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2018 Jul;22(3):666-672. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.11.013. Epub 2017 Dec 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30100295 (View on PubMed)

Gibbons CH. Basics of autonomic nervous system function. Handb Clin Neurol. 2019;160:407-418. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64032-1.00027-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31277865 (View on PubMed)

Laborde S, Mosley E, Thayer JF. Heart Rate Variability and Cardiac Vagal Tone in Psychophysiological Research - Recommendations for Experiment Planning, Data Analysis, and Data Reporting. Front Psychol. 2017 Feb 20;8:213. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00213. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28265249 (View on PubMed)

McCraty R, Shaffer F. Heart Rate Variability: New Perspectives on Physiological Mechanisms, Assessment of Self-regulatory Capacity, and Health risk. Glob Adv Health Med. 2015 Jan;4(1):46-61. doi: 10.7453/gahmj.2014.073.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25694852 (View on PubMed)

Ricard, F. (2014). Tratado de Osteopatía Craneal. Articulación Temporomandibular. Análisis y tratamiento ortodóntico. (E. Medos, Ed. 3ª ed.).

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An Overview of Heart Rate Variability Metrics and Norms. Front Public Health. 2017 Sep 28;5:258. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29034226 (View on PubMed)

Tarvainen MP, Niskanen JP, Lipponen JA, Ranta-Aho PO, Karjalainen PA. Kubios HRV--heart rate variability analysis software. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2014;113(1):210-20. doi: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2013.07.024. Epub 2013 Aug 6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24054542 (View on PubMed)

Schaffarczyk M, Rogers B, Reer R, Gronwald T. Validity of the Polar H10 Sensor for Heart Rate Variability Analysis during Resting State and Incremental Exercise in Recreational Men and Women. Sensors (Basel). 2022 Aug 30;22(17):6536. doi: 10.3390/s22176536.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36081005 (View on PubMed)

Munoz ML, van Roon A, Riese H, Thio C, Oostenbroek E, Westrik I, de Geus EJ, Gansevoort R, Lefrandt J, Nolte IM, Snieder H. Validity of (Ultra-)Short Recordings for Heart Rate Variability Measurements. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 28;10(9):e0138921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138921. eCollection 2015.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26414314 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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OST1-005

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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