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The effectiveness of an osteopathic manual technique compared with a breathing exercise on vagal tone as indicated by heart rate variability, a crossover study
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The effectiveness of an osteopathic manual technique compared with a breathing exercise on vagal tone as indicated by heart rate variability, a crossover study

Marian Cavanagh, Taylor Cope, Dylan Smith, Inez Tolley, Paul Orrock and Brett Vaughan
Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, Vol.38, pp.449-453
04/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.01.003
PMID: 38763591
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract

Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine not elsewhere classified Allied health and rehabilitation science not elsewhere classified Clinical health not elsewhere classified
Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) function can be inferred by heart rate variability (HRV) providing indications about an individual's health. Manual therapy may influence PSNS function, however the research outcomes in this regard are equivocal. This study explored the PSNS effect of a measured breathing technique with suboccipital balanced ligamentous tension, an osteopathic manipulative therapy technique. Methods: Healthy adult participants in this crossover study (n = 18) were randomly allocated into two groups with differing order of interventions. A 1:1 breathing rate of 6 breaths per minute maintained for 5 min was compared to the osteopathic intervention. HRV was measured for 5 min before and after each intervention and analysed using the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) between normal heartbeats and high frequency normalised units (HFnu). Results: The RMSSD data demonstrated no significant difference between groups or within groups (p > 0.05) over time. HFnu results showed a significant between-group difference over the four time points (p = 0.004) with a medium effect size (ηp2 = 0.240), and no significant within-group difference (p > 0.05). Discussion: The osteopathic intervention raised HRV to a small extent, however measured breathing lowered HRV. In the group that received the osteopathic technique first, HFnu values continued to rise post-osteopathic treatment possibly indicating an increasing parasympathetic effect over time. Recommendations for future studies include changing the breathing ratio to ensure parasympathetic response, take into account potential delayed effects of interventions, consider outcome measures less variable than HRV, and longer follow up times. Conclusion: This study suggests parasympathetic stimulation may occur with the application of suboccipital balanced ligamentous tension and sympathetic stimulation from measured breathing.

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