Effectiveness of Manual Therapy for Asthma in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Objectives : This systematic review aimed to provide evidence of the effectiveness and safety of manual therapy for asthma in children and adolescents. Methods : We queried eight electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, ScienceON, KISS, and RISS) up to the end of April 2022. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating manual therapy for the treatment of asthma in children and adolescents. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool 1.0. Results : Four RCTs were eligible for inclusion. Meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of the studies. One study showed the statistical significance of SMD 0.41 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.76, p<0.05) in the comparison with the osteopathic therapy group and the sham control group before and after treatment on the same day of peak expiratory flow. Conclusions : This possibility was observed in a non-pharmacological approach to manual therapy. Manual therapy can be considered as an adjunct therapy for asthma treatment in children and adolescents who have difficulty with drug therapy.