Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Patients with Anxiety and Depression: A Pilot Study, Part 2

Abstract

This is part 2 of an original study with a focus on pain. The role of touch in psychiatry is debatable; the purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in treating pain in patients with comorbid anxiety and/or depression. The study was an 8-week prospective, experimental, randomized, controlled pilot study to examine the effects of OMT as an adjunctive treatment of chronic anxiety and depression and pain. The study compared a treatment group to a control group, each consisting of 10 randomly-assigned adult participants with anxiety and/or depression on psychotropics, with a focus on pain. All patients were assessed and evaluated weekly using a musculoskeletal screening assessment which included the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS-11) to grade the level of pain or discomfort. From the initial cohort (n=20), a complete database was achieved for 16 of the patients. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio. Of the 16 patients who successfully participated in the study, 6 received OMT, and 10 were part of the control group. Statistical analysis of pain treatment group data revealed a week one mean of 7.0 ± 2.4 (n=6) with a paired t-test showing significance as early as week three 5.7 ± 2.1 (n=6), P = 0.025* and thereafter. Analysis of pain control group data revealed a week 1 mean of 6.4 ± 1.8 (n=10) with paired t-test significant at weeks 6 through 8. All patients in the treatment group showed significant improvements in their pain levels in half the time compared to those in the control group. Findings in this study indicate that OMT may be an effective adjunctive treatment modality for alleviating pain in patients with comorbid depression and anxiety.