Treatment effects of cranial osteopathy on asthma: a single case study.
Item
- Title
- Treatment effects of cranial osteopathy on asthma: a single case study.
- Author(s)
- Beresford, M
- Abstract
- Background: Asthma is a common disease that effects l in 10 adults in the UK population and has no cure. Asthma is an umbrella term for a complex spectrum of clinical presentations that vary in severity on an individualised basis. Evidence to support use of cranial osteopathy as a complementary therapy to asthma pharmalogical treatment is limited. Objective: To determine the effect of cranial osteopathic treatment on asthma control and quality of life in a patient with moderate asthma. Design: A single case study design where n=1. Methods: The participant was selected from the student population at the European School of Osteopathy. Selection inclusion criteria of two or more nocturnal awakenings per week, annual General Practitioner review and peak flow rate <15% of predicted best. The subject recorded asthma control and asthma quality of life questionnaires over a ten week study period. Intervention of a pragmatic application of cranial osteopathy was applied in six treatments in two separate phases of three weeks Data was analysed by statistical control process and Pearson's chi-squared test. Results: Asthma control improved over the ten week period but was not statistically significant. Short term improvements in spirometry measurements were recorded post intervention. Quality of life scores improved with a minimally important difference at study commencement and remain high throughout. Discussion: Implication of research is that participation in this clinical study positively affected the patient's quality of life. The mechanism for change appears to both psychological and physiological. No statistical significance in Quality of life (grouped and domains) or asthma control was found in this study but methodological flaws in subject selection and exclusion criteria of co-morbidities and severity of asthma may have been limiting factors. A positive trend in results does support previous research. Conclusion: The results of this study do not give strong evidence to support the use of cranial osteopathic treatment to control asthma in patients with a severe condition.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2016
- Date Submitted
- 2.12.2016 17:29:03
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 15934
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Asthma, Cranial Osteopathy, Quality of life.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Beresford, M, “Treatment effects of cranial osteopathy on asthma: a single case study.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 5, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.org/s/orw/item/547