The Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine on Pulmonary Function and Lung Volumes in Healthy Adults

Bradbury, Joseph Aaron, The Effect of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine on pulmonary function and lung volumes in healthy adults. Master of Science, April, 2004. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) techniques that address the diaphragm are commonly taught in Osteopathic medical schools. The application of these techniques is based on the theory that the physician can alter the mechanics of respiration. We hypothesized that OMM treatment of the diaphragm will allow greater diaphragmatic excursion of the diaphragm into the chest resulting in decreased residual volume (RV). Study design consisted of two groups; treatment and sham treatment. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were administered to each subject upon admission to the study. Our data was collected from a MedGraphics PF/Dx 1085D series whole body plethysmography machine. Following a short rest period, the subject received either an OMM treatment or a sham treatment. A post treatment series of PFTs were then administered to the subject. A Paired T test comparing pre and post values within each group showed that RV, TLC, and TGV significantly decreased after the OMM treatment. There were no significant changes in the sham treatment group. Univariate Analysis of Covariance between groups also showed that changes in RV remained significant. From these data we conclude that OMM treatments addressing diaphragm function are effective in altering the mechanisms of respiration and particularly in decreasing residual volume.