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Updated: Sep 21, 2025
Assessment of the Efficacy of An Osteopathic Treatment in Infants with Biomechanical Impairments to Suckling
Published on: February 5, 2019
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Regulates Autonomic Markers in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Andrea Manzotti1,2,3, Francesco Cerritelli1, Erica Lombardi1,3
1RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy.
Insights
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) may improve heart rate variability (HRV) in preterm infants. This intervention shows potential for enhancing newborn care and development by promoting parasympathetic modulation.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric osteopathy
- Physiology
Background:
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is recognized for its benefits in premature infants.
- Heart rate variability (HRV) alterations indicate poor clinical status and neurodevelopmental issues in newborns.
- No prior studies have examined the immediate impact of OMT on HRV in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immediate effects of OMT on heart rate variability (HRV) in preterm infants.
- To determine if OMT can positively influence HRV, potentially improving neonatal care.
- To assess OMT's impact on parasympathetic modulation in this population.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-six preterm infants were randomly assigned to either OMT or Static Touch groups.
- The study measured changes in beat-to-beat variance in heart rate using root mean square of consecutive RR interval differences (RMSSD) as the primary outcome.
- Secondary and exploratory analyses utilized other HRV metrics.
Main Results:
- The primary outcome did not reach statistical significance.
- Compared to the Static Touch group, OMT showed a trend towards improved HRV.
- OMT appeared to promote parasympathetic modulation, suggesting potential benefits for newborn development.
Conclusions:
- While not statistically significant, OMT demonstrated a potential to improve HRV in preterm infants.
- OMT may offer a beneficial intervention for enhancing the clinical condition and neurodevelopment of preterm newborns.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the efficacy of OMT on HRV in neonatal intensive care settings.
Abstract:
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been found to be effective in the context of premature infants. Nonetheless, no studies have investigated the immediate effects of OMT on heart rate variability (HRV). As altered HRV reflects poor or worsening newborn's clinical conditions and neurodevelopment, should OMT improve HRV fluctuations, it could become a relevant intervention for improving the care of preterm newborns. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether OMT could affect HRV. The study was carried out at the Buzzi Hospital in Milan. From the neonatal intensive care unit, ninety-six preterm infants (41 males) were enrolled and were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: OMT or Static Touch. The infants were born at 33.5 weeks (±4.3) and had a mean birth weight of 2067 g (±929). The study had as primary outcome the change in the beat-to-beat variance in heart rate measured through root mean square of consecutive RR interval differences (RMSSD); other metrics were used as secondary and exploratory analyses. Despite the lack of statistically significant results regarding the primary outcomeand some study limitations, compared to static touch, OMT seemed to favor a parasympathetic modulation and improved HRV, which could reflect improvement in newborn's clinical conditions and development.
