Osteopathic manipulative treatment and vertigo: a pilot study

To assess the safety and feasibility of studying osteopathic manipulative treatment and its potential effectiveness for patients with vertigo.

A nonrandomized pilot study.

Outpatient clinic affiliated with a teaching hospital and osteopathic medical school.

The subjects were older than 18 years of age, with the diagnosis of vertigo for longer than 3 months.

The patients were treated with osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).

Treatment effectiveness was measured with the use of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), a validated symptom inventory. Intensity and duration of adverse effects after OMT were used to measure study safety.

Of the 18 patients who were recruited all 18 (100%) met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. Sixteen patients (88.9%) completed the treatment course with OMT, and data with respect to the DHI were obtained from all 16 (100%). Significant improvement (P<.001) in total and subcomponent DHI scores was observed after completion of treatment. Of the 8 patients with moderate pretest scores, 7 (87.5%) had mild post-test scores after undergoing OMT, and of the 8 patients with severe pretest scores, 4 (50%) had mild post-test scores. Of the 18 enrolled patients, 3 (16.7%) experienced an exacerbation of their vertigo, and 5 (27.8%) experienced muscle soreness after OMT. These adverse effects were mild and transient, not lasting longer than 24 hours.

This study showed that OMT is generally well tolerated in patients with vertigo. It also demonstrated that it is feasible to recruit a population of patients with vertigo who can complete a course of OMT and collect data by using the DHI. A randomized control trial that examines the efficacy of OMT in patients with vertigo is warranted, given that OMT may be a reasonable treatment for vertigo and the functional impairment associated with it.