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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
Published on: February 5, 2019
Infantile postural asymmetry and osteopathic treatment: a randomized therapeutic trial
Heike Philippi1, Andreas Faldum, Angela Schleupen
1Department of Paediatric Neurology, University Children's Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. Heike.Philippi@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Insights
Osteopathic treatment significantly improves postural asymmetry in infants. This study found osteopathic manipulative treatment led to greater improvement compared to sham therapy in infants aged 6-12 weeks.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Osteopathic Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant postural asymmetry is a common condition.
- Early intervention may be crucial for optimal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of osteopathic treatment for infant postural asymmetry.
- To compare osteopathic treatment with sham therapy in a randomized clinical trial.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial involving 32 infants (6-12 weeks old) with postural asymmetry.
- Participants were assigned to either osteopathic treatment or sham therapy for 4 weeks.
- Outcomes were assessed using a standardized scale with blinded video scoring.
Main Results:
- The osteopathic treatment group showed a mean improvement of 5.9 points (SD 3.8).
- The sham therapy group had a mean improvement of 1.2 points (SD 3.5).
- The difference in improvement between groups was statistically significant (p=0.001).
Conclusions:
- Osteopathic treatment is an effective therapeutic intervention for infants with postural asymmetry.
- Early osteopathic manipulative treatment can significantly improve the degree of asymmetry in infants.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic efficacy of osteopathic treatment in infants with postural asymmetry. A randomized clinical trial of efficacy with blinded videoscoring was performed. Sixty-one infants with postural asymmetry aged 6 to 12 weeks (mean 9wks) were recruited. Thirty-two infants (18 males, 14 females) with a gestational age of at least 36 weeks were found to be eligible and randomly assigned to the intervention groups, 16 receiving osteopathic treatment and 16 sham therapy. After a treatment period of 4 weeks the outcome was measured using a standardized scale (4-24 points). With sham therapy, five infants improved (at least 3 points), eight infants were unchanged (within 3 points), and three infants deteriorated (not more than -3 points); the mean improvement was 1.2 points (SD 3.5). In the osteopathic group, 13 infants improved and three remained unchanged; the mean improvement was 5.9 points (SD 3.8). The difference was significant (p=0.001). We conclude that osteopathic treatment in the first months of life improves the degree of asymmetry in infants with postural asymmetry.
