What Is the Scientific Evidence for Osteopathic Manipulation?
There is little evidence as yet that osteopathic manipulation is helpful for the treatment of any medical condition. There are several possible reasons for this, but one is fundamental: Even with the best of intentions, it is difficult to properly ascertain the effectiveness of a hands-on therapy like OM. Only one form of study can truly prove that a treatment is effective—the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial . (For more information on why such studies are so crucial, see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-blind Studies? ) However, it isn’t possible to fit OM into a study design of this type. What could researchers use as a placebo OM? And how could they make sure that both participants and practitioners would be kept in the dark regarding who is receiving real OM and who is receiving fake OM? The fact is, they can’t. Because of these problems, all studies of OM fall short of optimum design. Many have compared OM against no treatment. However, studies of that type cannot provi
