Obstructive sleep apnea can be relieved with osteopathic manipulative treatment

A French study examined the effect of active osteopathic manipulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion on patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Its findings showed that osteopathic treatment could improve the pharyngeal stability affected by the sleep disorder.

The study was supported by Sorbonne Universités. Its results were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

• Separate instances of active osteopathic manipulation and sham manipulation were applied to nine patients in a randomized, crossover, double-blind study. The two treatment sessions were separated by a 21-day time period.
• Participants were evaluated regarding the effects of the sessions 30 minutes and 48 hours later. They and their evaluator were not informed as to which treatment was the sham or real one.
• Improvements in pharyngeal stability was determined to require a critical closing pressure of at least –4 centimeters of water (cmH20). The secondary endpoints were variations in the absolute values of critical closing pressure, sleepiness, snoring, tears, pain, and sensations experienced during the treatment.
• Five participants displayed responses to active manipulation, including improved critical closing pressure. None of the patients expressed any responses to the sham treatment.
• Furthermore, participants reported greater ease of breathing through their noses after active manipulation of their sphenopalatine ganglion. This suggests that the osteopathic treatment targets the proximal pharynx, which is part of the zone of nerve fibers connected to the ganglion.

The researchers concluded that osteopathic treatment could increase the stability of the pharynx in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

This link will take you to the complete study.

To learn more about the benefits of osteopathic manipulative treatment on sleep disorders, visit HealingArts.news.

Journal Reference:

Jacq O, Arnulf I, Similowski T, Attali V. UPPER AIRWAY STABILIZATION BY OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATION OF THE SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION VERSUS SHAM MANIPULATION IN OSAS PATIENTS: A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT, RANDOMIZED, CROSSOVER, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED STUDY. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 20 December 2017;17(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-2053-0.