The biology of manual therapies

Each year, more than 18 million adults in the United States receive manual therapies, at a total annual out-of-pocket cost of $3.9 billion. Although there is growing evidence supporting the efficacy of manual therapies, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these treatments. This lack of b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 2012-09, Vol.112 (9), p.617-629
Main Authors: Clark, Brian C, Thomas, James S, Walkowski, Stevan A, Howell, John N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Female
Humans
Male
Manipulation, Osteopathic - methods
Middle Aged
Muscle Spasticity - therapy
Muscle, Skeletal - physiology
Musculoskeletal Diseases - therapy
Neurophysiology
Pain Measurement
Pain Perception - physiology
Pain Threshold - physiology
Sensitivity and Specificity
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Summary:Each year, more than 18 million adults in the United States receive manual therapies, at a total annual out-of-pocket cost of $3.9 billion. Although there is growing evidence supporting the efficacy of manual therapies, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these treatments. This lack of basic knowledge significantly limits the development of rational strategies for the use of these treatments and potentially hinders their acceptance by the wider scientific and health care communities. Many authors have hypothesized that manual therapies act by disrupting the pain-spasm-pain cycle, but relatively little experimental evidence has supported this hypothesis. The authors have tested this hypothesis and summarize their work on the biology of manual therapies.
ISSN:1945-1997