Inhibitory Tests as Assessment Tools for Somatic Dysfunctions: Mechanisms and Practical Applications

The capital element in the field of osteopathy and several other manual therapy methods, is the somatic dysfunction (SD), a functional imbalance that can involve different tissues and mechanisms in its genesis and maintenance. The main challenges found in the clinical scope are to understand the interaction, hierarchy, and relevance of the SD. Several manual tests are available to functionally evaluate the SD, each one with its applicability to analyze the different parameters of the SD. The so-called inhibitory tests are a category of functional manual tests that can be added to the diagnostic context of the SD. It is a particular type of test in which the evaluator applies manual mechanical stimuli to dysfunctional tissues and assesses the biological responses that occur simultaneously with the application of the stimulus. Its use can consider biomechanical and neurological principles in such a way that different conditions can be analyzed. The objective of this article is to review well-established knowledge and recent scientific discoveries about the SD and its local and global repercussions, in an attempt to offer ideas that can be applied to better understand the mechanisms that imply the use of inhibitory tests as complementary clinical diagnostic tools. It will be discussed some of the possible mechanisms involved in the physiology of the inhibitory tests, their practical applications in some distinct conditions, as well as new proposals of utilization based on the sensitization of metameric related structures under a dysfunctional state.