The Effect of Osteopathic Manipulation Techniques on the Lymphatic System

Purpose: Osteopathic manipulation techniques (OMT) have been utilized by osteopathic physicians to treat a variety of conditions. However, the mechanisms by which OMT aides the body in healing are not well understood. The long-term goal of our research is to advance our understanding of the impact of OMT during disease, such as sepsis. The purpose of this study is to develop a large animal model and to establish surgical techniques that will be used in these future studies. We hypothesized that the abdominal lymphatic pump technique (LPT) will enhance thoracic duct lymph (TDL) flow. Methods: The thoracic duct was exposed via thoracotomy then cannulated using an angio-catheter. TDL was collected from 2 swine (1 male, 1 female) during 10-minutes of baseline, 4-minutes of LPT, and 10-minutes post-LPT. TDL flow was measured by timed collection during each condition. TDL was centrifuged to remove the cellular components, and the supernatant was stored for biomarker analysis. Results: TDL flow increased from an average of 1.68 mL/min to 3.25 mL/min during LPT administration. Immunological assays will be performed to identify changes in lymph composition during OMT. Conclusion: In our pilot study, LPT increased TDL flow in both our swine subjects and demonstrated surgical feasibility. In future studies we will study the physiological effects of OMT during sepsis. This knowledge would provide an evidence-based foundation for the use, or contraindication, of OMT during sepsis and aid osteopathic physicians during their therapeutic decision making.