Hasil untuk "Osteopathy"

Jacopo Preziosi Standoli, Tiziano Preziosi Standoli

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Overhead athletes, including swimmers, are prone to shoulder adaptations and pathologies, such as scapular dyskinesis (SD) and glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD). While SD has been extensively studied in various overhead sports, its prevalence and clinical implications in swimmers remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate static scapular asymmetries (SAs), defined as differences in the observed position of the scapulae at rest or in a fixed position, in young elite swimmers and compare these findings with functional scapular dyskinesis (SD) tests, which assess alterations in scapular motion patterns during arm movement. It also assesses potential relationships between SA and SD. <b>Methods</b>: A cohort of 661 young elite swimmers (344 males, 317 females) was assessed during the National Young Swimming Championships. Scapular asymmetries were measured in two positions: at rest and at 90° abduction with internal rotation. The measurements included the following: (1) dHeight: Difference in superomedial scapular angle height from the C7 spinal process; (2) dDistance: Difference in the distance of the superomedial scapular angle from the body midline; (3) dAngle: Angular deviation of the medial scapular border from the plumb line, assessed using a goniometer. The presence of scapular dyskinesis (SD) was determined using a functional test, and SA findings were compared with SD results. Statistical analyses included ANOVA and chi-square tests, with significance set at <i>p</i> < 0.05. <b>Results</b>: Scapular asymmetries were observed in 3.63% to 15.43% of swimmers, with no significant associations with age, gender, BMI, training years, or swimming characteristics (<i>p</i> > 0.05). A significant difference was observed between dominant limb and scapular height in abduction (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In position 1 (resting position), SA was significantly more prevalent in swimmers without SD (<i>p</i> < 0.001 for dHeight, <i>p</i> = 0.016 for dDistance). In position 2 (abduction), SA was significantly associated with SD-negative subjects in dAngle (<i>p</i> = 0.014) and dDistance (<i>p</i> = 0.02), while dHeight was not significant (<i>p</i> > 0.05). These findings suggest that static scapular asymmetries do not necessarily correlate with dynamic scapular dysfunction (SD), and, indeed, a negative correlation was observed where SA was significantly more prevalent in swimmers without SD in several measures (position 1, <i>p</i> < 0.001 for dHeight and <i>p</i> = 0.016 for dDistance; position 2, <i>p</i> = 0.014 for dAngle and <i>p</i> = 0.02 for dDistance). <b>Conclusions</b>: Young elite swimmers exhibit a relatively symmetrical scapular positioning, with scapular asymmetries potentially representing normal adaptations rather than pathological findings. The lack of positive correlation between SA and SD, and the higher prevalence of SA in SD-negative subjects, suggests the need for caution when interpreting static scapular assessments in swimmers as SA may reflect sport-specific adaptations rather than pathology.

Mohamed F. Albana, DO, Lauryn D. Bianco, DO, MBA, Jed W. Walsh, DO et al.

Background: Doctors of osteopathy (D.O.) have historically been underrepresented in the orthopedic literature. As adult reconstruction (AR) continues to rank among the most competitive orthopedic fellowships, participation in research likely serves a key role for successfully matching. This study sought to identify trends in D.O. orthopedic publications and assess for correlations between these trends and osteopathic AR match results. Methods: The top 10 orthopedic surgery journals based on impact factor were selected for analysis. Articles published between 2010 and 2021 were screened to assess for publications with a D.O. author, as well as authorship position. A total of 29,499 articles were available for final analysis. Data from the San Francisco Residency and Fellowship Match Services were also reviewed to evaluate the number of osteopathic applicants and their match rates during the same study period. Trends in D.O. publications and osteopathic AR match rates were then assessed for any correlations. Results: From 2010 to 2021, there was a significant increase in orthopedic and arthroplasty-related publications with a D.O. author (P < .0001), as well as D.O. first (P = .0006) and senior authorship positions (P = .009). Osteopathic match rate significantly increased during the study period (P = .003). There was a strong correlation between the increase in osteopathic match rate and arthroplasty-related publications with a D.O. author (r = 0.76). Conclusions: From 2010 to 2021, there was an upward trend of osteopathic orthopedic publications. This increase is strongly correlated with an increase in osteopathic AR match rate. Our findings suggest that authorship in publications may play a key role in successfully matching into an AR fellowship.

Na An, Ruman Chen, Hong Li

Renal osteopathy is common in patients with end-stage renal disease. For certain patients, treatment opportunities are lost due to extremely superstition and poor compliance. This article reports a rare case in which the patient developed “noodle-like” deformity of the bilateral lower limbs and spontaneous fracture of bilateral distal end of femur. The purpose of this article is to offer a warning to future patients.

Jian‐feng Zhang, Yong‐cheng Hu, Bao‐cang Wang et al.

Objectives To evaluate the mechanical properties and provide a theoretical basis of a diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism using the finite element analysis method from the point of view of biomechanics. Methods A 3D digital femur model was generated based on a 28‐year‐old healthy man's femoral computed tomography (CT) data in Mimics 17.0 and the customized diaphyseal prostheses with/without tooth mechanism were designed in SolidWorks 2016. The 3D femur model after 8 cm osteotomy in the middle of its shaft and the prostheses with/without tooth mechanism was imported into Abaqus 2016 and the finite element analysis models were established. Three biomechanical tests (compression test, torsion test, and 3P‐bending test) under broken load were simulated in FEA to evaluate the performance of the prostheses. Results The stress distributions of the two prostheses were similar and the maximum von Mises stresses placed on them were very close in each test. The maximum von Mises stresses on the prosthesis with tooth mechanism were 31.55, 319.7, and 447.4 MPa, respectively, and those on the prosthesis without tooth mechanism were 26.26, 300.4, and 455.2 MPa, respectively, in the compression, torsion, and 3P‐bending tests. The maximum von Mises stresses on them were far below the ultimate tensile strength or ultimate compressive strength of the titanium alloy. Conclusions The diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism is helpful to adjust the rotation of the long bone during operation. Compared with the conventional diaphyseal prosthesis (without tooth mechanism), the diaphyseal prosthesis with tooth mechanism also has a good biomechanical performance and does not increase the risk of prosthetic failure.

Giandomenico D’Alessandro, F. Cerritelli, P. Cortelli

Historically, approaches used in manual medicine to explain patient reported symptoms have been focused on the so-called exteroceptive paradigm. Arguably, this mindset lacks an appropriate “reading system” able to interpret musculoskeletal disorders from a different perspective, where the properties of the nervous system are embraced into a more holistic and functional-related context. Interestingly, if the underpinning mechanisms of a given treatment scenario/effect are taking into account, the majority of research outcomes focuses on a proprioceptive/exteroceptive explanation, leaving ting aside the additional or even central role of interoception. Currently, to date, the application of theoretical knowledge acquired on the relatively recent neuroscientific concepts and evidence concerning of interoception, sensitization, touch, autonomic functions, inflammation, and pain into a clinical/research manual medicine scenario is lacking, even if theoretically, the impact on the possible etiological mechanisms and treatment effects seems to be important. Here, we propose the conceptual foundations for a new way of interpreting and reading patients' clinical reported outcomes scenario based on interoception and sensitization. We argue that this will provide a foundation to create the ground for future research focusing on the hypotheses that manual therapies, specifically osteopathy, can intercede with sensitization states, at all levels, using interoceptive pathways.

Giandomenico D’Alessandro, Giacomo Consorti, Francesco Cerritelli

Abstract Background Self-directed learning is a student-centered approach based on the students’ evaluation about their own learning needs. Self-directed practice is a component of the self-directed learning which focus on achieving manual and practical skills. Given the abundance of manual skills that students need to develop in the osteopathic curriculum, self-directed practice has become an attractive methodology. Most of the Italian osteopathic educational institutions recognize two types of educational curriculum: T1, for students without a healthcare background; and T2 for students who are already healthcare professionals. The aim of the present study is to investigate the attitudes of Italian osteopathic students toward self-directed practice during the summer break highlighting the possible differences between T1 and T2 students. Methods A web-based closed-ended survey was administered to the students attending one of the Italian osteopathic educational institutions which accepted to participate in the research. Results Two hundred sixty-eight students on 2549 participated to the survey. 64.92% of the students reported to have performed self-directed practice during the summer break. The main difficulty encountered by students in approaching self-directed practice was ‘lack of people to exercise with’. Most of the students performed self-directed practice between 1 to 5 h per week. The most common clinical condition encountered was Low Back Pain. The anatomical area most approached was lumbar spine. The most commonly simulated tests were the articular mobility tests. The techniques in which students trained the most were muscle energy techniques. Significant difference was found in self-engagement to the self-directed practice between T1 and T2 students (p = 0.026), and in the reasons to perform self-directed practice (p = 0.027). Conclusions The results of this study could be useful to reveal some aspects of students’ academic education and future clinical practice. Therefore this paper can be a useful tool for the institutions to develop strategies to overcome the reported problems students have towards self-directed practice. For example it should be discussed the possibility for the students to observe some senior osteopaths during their practice or to plan to maintain an open tutored didactic environment during the summer break as an extracurricular activity.

Lixia Zhang, Lili Zheng, Chong Li et al.

Objective: Diabetic osteopathy is a common comorbidity of diabetes mellitus, with skeletal fragility, osteoporosis and bone pain. The aim of our study was to highlight the role of sema3a on osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-e1 in high-glucose condition and explore its therapeutic effect of diabetic osteopathy in vitro and vivo.Methods: In our study, the expression of osteogenesis-related makers, such as ALP, OCN, OPG, β-catenin and Runx2, were analyzed in MC3T3 osteoblastic cells to explore the effect of sema3a on osteoblast differentiation in high-glucose condition, and as was the staining of ALP and Alizarin Red S. In a diabetic animal model, the expression of serum bone metabolic markers, such as ALP, P1NP, OCN, and β-CTX, were analyzed and micro-CT was used to detect bone architecture, including Tb.N, Tb.Th, Tb.Sp, Tb.Pf, BS/BV, and BV/TV after the treatment of sema3a.Results: High glucose significantly inhibited osteogenic differentiation by decreasing the expression of osteogenesis-related makers, sema3a and its receptor of Nrp-1 in a dose-dependent manner in MC3T3. In high-glucose condition, exogenous sema3a (RPL917Mu01) increased the expression of ALP, OCN, OPG, Runx2, β-catenin, and the positive proportion of ALP and Alizarin Red S staining. In addition, in diabetic animal model, exogenous sema3a could increase bone mass and bone mineral density, and downregulate the expression of ALP, P1NP, OCN, and β-CTX.Conclusion: High glucose suppresses osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3 and sema3a may take part in this process. The application of exogenous sema3a alleviates high glucose-induced inhibition of osteoblast differentiation in diabetic osteopathy.

Banibrata Das, Tirthankar Ghosh

Background: Cognitive ergonomics relates with studies related to knowledge, knowledge acquisition skills and other factors. In the modern days, the workers are exposed to a work, which demands cognitive skill along with physical ability. Objectives: Aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of physical exertion along with thermal stress on the cognitive performance among the adolescent farmers through. Methods: In the present study, cognitive performance was evaluated through physical exertion along with thermal stress among the adolescent farmers. This cross-sectional study was performed during 2017 -18 among the randomly selected 50 male and 50 female adolescent farmers from the various village of Hooghly District at West Bengal, India. Before conducting the study, legal guardian consent was taken. Prior permission and ethical approval was also obtained from local community leaders as well as relevant authorities before commencement of the study. The memory test or cognitive ability test was done by the Immediate Recovery Test. In cognitive ability test, three pictorial cards were prepared having same length; each of the cards had 15 pictorials. Different pictures card was shown to all the subjects for 15 minutes in resting condition. Immediately after 15 minutes all the subjects were asked to recall the pictures within the 3 minutes. Then, evaluation was undertaken in presence of the subjects. Results: The result of the study shows that the farmers performed strenuous activity by which they do the more error in cognitive function test than control subjects. This may be due to increase in strenuous activity in agricultural sector by increasing the heart rate (physiological stress) which may decrease the cognitive function among the farmers in compare to control subjects. Conclusion: The study concludes that intense fatigue producing or highly strenuous agricultural activity lead to an increase in the number as well as in the percentage of wrong answers in the cognitive test. On the other hand, moderate type of agricultural results in a decrease in the number as well as in the percentage of wrong answers and there is an improvement in the cognitive performance.

Lachlan King, S. Kremser, Phil Deam et al.

Abstract Background A number of clinical reasoning models, including hypothetico-deductive, pattern recognition and narrative reasoning have been identified in both novice and experienced medical, nursing and allied health professionals. The aim of this project was to explore clinical reasoning in osteopathy from the perspectives of both experienced practitioners and novice practitioners. Methods Data were collected via semi-structured interviews that encouraged practitioners to reflect on the clinical reasoning processes they used in response to two case studies. Interviews were transcribed and analysed to identify key themes. Results Two themes emerged: (1) that experienced and novice osteopaths demonstrated different approaches to clinical reasoning, and (2) that experiential findings (e.g. from observation and palpatory findings derived from having direct contact with the patient) were integral to clinical reasoning in osteopathy. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that clinical reasoning in osteopathy is similar to that of other health professions in that deep understanding of clinical applications and clinical experience were key factors in developing sophisticated clinical reasoning processes. However, clinical reasoning in osteopathy, unlike many other health professions, relies on experiential findings resulting from direct observation and palpatory contact with the patient. Clinical reasoning that relies on subjective experiential findings requires further investigation.

J. Vagt, O. Distl

B. Vaughan

BackgroundClinical teaching evaluations are common in health profession education programs to ensure students are receiving a quality clinical education experience. Questionnaires students use to evaluate their clinical teachers have been developed in professions such as medicine and nursing. The development of a questionnaire that is specifically for the osteopathy on-campus, student-led clinic environment is warranted. Previous work developed the 30-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. The current study utilised Rasch analysis to investigate the construct validity of the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire and provide evidence for the validity argument through fit to the Rasch model.MethodsSenior osteopathy students at four institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom rated their clinical teachers using the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. Three hundred and ninety-nine valid responses were received and the data were evaluated for fit to the Rasch model. Reliability estimations (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega) were also evaluated for the final model.ResultsThe initial analysis demonstrated the data did not fit the Rasch model. Accordingly, modifications to the questionnaire were made including removing items, removing person responses, and rescoring one item. The final model contained 12 items and fit to the Rasch model was adequate. Support for unidimensionality was demonstrated through both the Principal Components Analysis/t-test, and the Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega reliability estimates. Analysis of the questionnaire using McDonald’s omega hierarchical supported a general factor (quality of clinical teaching in osteopathy).ConclusionThe evidence for unidimensionality and the presence of a general factor support the calculation of a total score for the questionnaire as a sufficient statistic. Further work is now required to investigate the reliability of the 12-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire to provide evidence for the validity argument.

John C. Watts, Kristie Jennings

A 9-year-old, castrated male Border Collie cross-breed dog first presented to our clinic with fever and lumbar pain. Hematology and biochemistry were not diagnostic and the dog was treated empirically at the owner’s request. Three weeks later the dog developed painful, warm swellings in all distal limbs and radiographs of the distal limbs were consistent with hypertrophic osteopathy. There were no visible chest lesions detected on radiographs. An enlarged prostate was detected on radiographic and ultrasonographic examination. The prostate was cavitated on ultrasonography. The owner was reluctant to pursue further diagnostics. The dog continued to deteriorate and was euthanized 40 days after presentation due to signs associated with the hypertrophic osteopathy. Post-mortem examination revealed that the patient had a prostatic carcinoma with severe chronic suppurative prostatitis. Hypertrophic osteopathy with only abdominal masses without an obvious metastasis is uncommon and has not been reported before in a castrated dog with prostatic carcinoma. There is another report of hypertrophic osteopathy associated with prostatic neoplasia in an intact dog without pulmonary metastases. 1 Interestingly, in both this case

Albin Guillaud, Nelly Darbois, Richard Monvoisin et al.

Context In 2010, the World Health Organization released benchmarks for training in osteopathy in which they considered cranial osteopathy as an important osteopathic skill. However, the evidence supporting the reliability of diagnosis and the efficacy of treatment in this field appears scientifically weak and inconsistent. Objectives To identify and critically evaluate the scientific literature dealing with the reliability of diagnosis and the clinical efficacy of techniques and therapeutic strategies used in cranial osteopathy. Methods Relevant keywords were used to search the electronic databases MEDLINE, PEDro, OSTMED.DR, Cochrane Library, and in Google Scholar, Journal of American Osteopathy Association and International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine websites. Searches were conducted up to end June 2016 with no date restriction as to when the studies were completed. As a complementary approach we explored the bibliography of included articles and consulted available previous reviews dealing with this topic. Study selection Regarding diagnostic processes in cranial osteopathy, we analyzed studies that compared the results obtained by at least two examiners or by the same examiner on at least two occasions. For efficacy studies, only randomized-controlled-trials or crossover-studies were eligible. We excluded articles that were not in English or French, and for which the full-text version was not openly available. We also excluded studies with unsuitable study design, in which there was no clear indication of the use of techniques or therapeutic strategies concerning the cranial field, looked at combined treatments, used a non-human examiner and subjects or used healthy subjects for efficacy studies. There was no restriction regarding the type of disease. Search Results In our electronic search we found 1280 references concerning reliability of diagnosis studies plus four references via our complementary strategy. Based on the title 18 articles were selected for analysis. Nine were retained after applying our exclusion criteria. Regarding efficacy, we extracted 556 references from the databases plus 14 references through our complementary strategy. Based on the title 46 articles were selected. Thirty two articles were not retained on the grounds of our exclusion criteria. Data extraction and analysis Risk of bias in reliability studies was assessed using a modified version of the quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. The methodological quality of the efficacy studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Two screeners conducted these analyses. Results For reliability studies, our analysis leads us to conclude that the diagnostic procedures used in cranial osteopathy are unreliable in many ways. For efficacy studies, the Cochrane risk of bias tool we used shows that 2 studies had a high risk of bias, 9 were rated as having major doubt regarding risk of bias and 3 had a low risk of bias. In the 3 studies with a low risk of bias alternative interpretations of the results, such as a non-specific effect of treatment, were not considered. Conclusion Our results demonstrate, consistently with those of previous reviews, that methodologically strong evidence on the reliability of diagnostic procedures and the efficacy of techniques and therapeutic strategies in cranial osteopathy is almost non-existent.

F. Cerritelli, M. Verzella, Luca Cicchitti et al.

Background:Placebo, defined as “false treatment,” is a common gold-standard method to assess the validity of a therapy both in pharmacological trials and manual medicine research where placebo is also referred to as “sham therapy.” In the medical literature, guidelines have been proposed on how to conduct robust placebo-controlled trials, but mainly in a drug-based scenario. In contrast, there are not precise guidelines on how to conduct a placebo-controlled in manual medicine trials (particularly osteopathy). The aim of the present systematic review was to report how and what type of sham methods, dosage, operator characteristics, and patient types were used in osteopathic clinical trials and, eventually, assess sham clinical effectiveness. Methods:A systematic Cochrane-based review was conducted by analyzing the osteopathic trials that used both manual and nonmanual placebo control. Searches were conducted on 8 databases from journal inception to December 2015 using a pragmatic literature search approach. Two independent reviewers conducted the study selection and data extraction for each study. The risk of bias was evaluated according to the Cochrane methods. Results:A total of 64 studies were eligible for analysis collecting a total of 5024 participants. More than half (43 studies) used a manual placebo; 9 studies used a nonmanual placebo; and 12 studies used both manual and nonmanual placebo. Data showed lack of reporting sham therapy information across studies. Risk of bias analysis demonstrated a high risk of bias for allocation, blinding of personnel and participants, selective, and other bias. To explore the clinical effects of sham therapies used, a quantitative analysis was planned. However, due to the high heterogeneity of sham approaches used no further analyses were performed. Conclusion:High heterogeneity regarding placebo used between studies, lack of reporting information on placebo methods and within-study variability between sham and real treatment procedures suggest prudence in reading and interpreting study findings in manual osteopathic randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Efforts must be made to promote guidelines to design the most reliable placebo for manual RCTs as a means of increasing the internal validity and improve external validity of findings.

A. D. McCarthy, A. Cortizo, C. Sedlinsky

Patients with long-term type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) can develop skeletal complications or "diabetic osteopathy". These include osteopenia, osteoporosis and an increased incidence of low-stress fractures. In this context, it is important to evaluate whether current anti-diabetic treatments can secondarily affect bone metabolism. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) modulates multiple metabolic pathways and acts as a sensor of the cellular energy status; recent evidence suggests a critical role for AMPK in bone homeostasis. In addition, AMPK activation is believed to mediate most clinical effects of the insulin-sensitizer metformin. Over the past decade, several research groups have investigated the effects of metformin on bone, providing a considerable body of pre-clinical (in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo) as well as clinical evidence for an anabolic action of metformin on bone. However, two caveats should be kept in mind when considering metformin treatment for a patient with type 2 DM at risk for diabetic osteopathy. In the first place, metformin should probably not be considered an anti-osteoporotic drug; it is an insulin sensitizer with proven macrovascular benefits that can secondarily improve bone metabolism in the context of DM. Secondly, we are still awaiting the results of randomized placebo-controlled studies in humans that evaluate the effects of metformin on bone metabolism as a primary endpoint.

B. Vaughan, Keri M Moore, A. Kleinbaum

Abstract Osteopathy students learning in university clinics forms a substantial portion of the Australian students' clinical education program of activities and within them, junior students are encouraged to observe more senior students during their consultations with patients. This is near-peer teaching. However, scholarly analysis of this component of osteopathy education is underrepresented in the literature. For that reason, this commentary describes the underpinning educational theory and how near-peer clinical education is used in osteopathy in the Australian context. Some challenges and opportunities of this approach are discussed. Near-peer clinical education has the ability to enhance a junior and senior students' clinical education, to strengthen the notion of a community of learning, and also to develop a student's ability to educate others - potentially developing future clinical educators. Research into near-peer clinical education in the health professions is in its infancy worldwide and therefore presents an opportunity for osteopathy teaching institutions to not only evaluate its use, but contribute to the ongoing discourse.

S. Grace, P. Orrock, B. Vaughan et al.

BackgroundClinical reasoning has been described as a process that draws heavily on the knowledge, skills and attributes that are particular to each health profession. However, the clinical reasoning processes of practitioners of different disciplines demonstrate many similarities, including hypothesis generation and reflective practice. The aim of this study was to understand clinical reasoning in osteopathy from the perspective of osteopathic clinical educators and the extent to which it was similar or different from clinical reasoning in other health professions.MethodsThis study was informed by constructivist grounded theory. Participants were clinical educators in osteopathic teaching institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Focus groups and written critical reflections provided a rich data set. Data were analysed using constant comparison to develop inductive categories.ResultsAccording to participants, clinical reasoning in osteopathy is different from clinical reasoning in other health professions. Osteopaths use a two-phase approach: an initial biomedical screen for serious pathology, followed by use of osteopathic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body. Clinical reasoning in osteopathy was also described as occurring in a number of contexts (e.g. patient, practitioner and community) and drawing on a range of metaskills (e.g. hypothesis generation and reflexivity) that have been described in other health professions.ConclusionsThe use of diagnostic reasoning models that are based on the relationship between structure and function in the human body differentiated clinical reasoning in osteopathy. These models were not used to name a medical condition but rather to guide the selection of treatment approaches. If confirmed by further research that clinical reasoning in osteopathy is distinct from clinical reasoning in other health professions, then osteopaths may have a unique perspective to bring to multidisciplinary decision-making and potentially enhance the quality of patient care.Where commonalities exist in the clinical reasoning processes of osteopathy and other health professions, shared learning opportunities may be available, including the exchange of scaffolded clinical reasoning exercises and assessment practices among health disciplines.

R. Judkins, B. Vaughan, J. Mulcahy

OBJECTIVES To investigate the experiences of patients seeking osteopathy treatment in New Zealand; and to describe their perceptions of osteopathic treatment. DESIGN Survey-based research design. SETTING Private osteopathy practices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Demographic survey and the Patient Perception Measure-Osteopathy (PPM-O). RESULTS Twelve osteopaths were recruited as practitioners. Responses from 107 patients were analysed. Approximately 75% of patients reported receiving a 'mostly cranial' treatment approach. The majority of patients (96.2%) indicated that osteopathic treatment helped their condition. The most frequently experienced sensation was 'relaxed'. A positive relationship was observed between the PPM-O and demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to report on New Zealand osteopathy patient's experience of their treatment. The sensations and emotions experienced are largely consistent with previous Australian research. Predominantly positive perceptions of osteopathic treatment were reported. The current study provides some evidence of the construct validity of the PPM-O in a New Zealand patient population.

G. Mazziotti, F. Maffezzoni, S. Frara et al.

P. Dun, M. Alina, Nicolaie et al.