The Use of Exercise Prescription in Australian Osteopathy Practice: Secondary Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of the Profession

Michael Fleischmann; Brett Vaughan; Kylie Fitzgerald

doi:10.1155/2024/1977684

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The Use of Exercise Prescription in Australian Osteopathy Practice: Secondary Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of the Profession

Journal article

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The Use of Exercise Prescription in Australian Osteopathy Practice: Secondary Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of the Profession

Michael Fleischmann, Brett Vaughan and Kylie Fitzgerald

The Scientific World Journal, Vol.2024, 1977684

01/2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/1977684

PMID: 38911694

Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications

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Abstract

Introduction. Exercise is beneficial for improving general health, wellbeing, and specific medical conditions. In musculoskeletal conditions such as chronic low back and neck pain, prescribed exercise has been found to be moderately effective in decreasing pain and improving function. Osteopaths are primary contact health professionals who manage predominantly musculoskeletal complaints. This work presents a secondary data analysis of the Australian osteopathy practice-based research network and profiles the characteristics of osteopaths who often use exercise prescription in patient care. Methodology. Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 992 osteopaths was registered with the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network, an Australian practice-based research network. Demographics, practice, and treatment characteristics of Australian osteopaths who “often” use exercise prescription in patient care were examined. Results. Seven-hundred and thirty-three Australian osteopaths (74%) indicated that they use exercise prescription “often” in patient care. Australian osteopaths who often use exercise prescription are more likely to be colocated with another osteopath (ORa 1.54) and send referrals to an exercise physiologist (ORa 1.94) and a specialist medical practitioner (ORa 1.72). Those osteopaths who often used exercise prescription were also more likely to discuss physical activity (ORa 5.61) and nutrition (ORa 1.90). Australian osteopaths who use exercise prescription often were more likely to treat patients with sports injuries (ORa 2.43) and use soft tissue techniques (ORa 1.92), trigger point techniques (ORa 2.72), and sports taping (ORa 1.78). Conclusion. Osteopaths who utilise exercise prescription were more likely to discuss physical activity, diet, and nutrition and utilise referral networks with specialist medical practitioners and exercise physiologists. Australian osteopaths who often use exercise prescriptions were also more likely to treat patients with sport injury. The results suggest that most Australian osteopaths use exercise prescription and have referral networks with other health professionals for patient management. Further work is required to explore the type of exercise prescription used and for what conditions.

Details

Title: The Use of Exercise Prescription in Australian Osteopathy Practice: Secondary Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of the Profession
Creators: Michael Fleischmann - RMIT University
Brett Vaughan - University of Melbourne
Kylie Fitzgerald - University of Melbourne
Publication Details: The Scientific World Journal, Vol.2024, 1977684
Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Grant note: University of Melbourne
Identifiers: 991013204712402368
Academic Unit: Faculty of Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

The Use of Exercise Prescription in Australian Osteopathy Practice: Secondary Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of the Profession

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