Objective: To investigate the complementary effects of a standardized Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Protocol on sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Index (PSQI)

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder causing many clinical manifestations including bradykinesia, tremor, postural instability, and musculoskeletal stiffness. Sleep disturbances, such as, insomnia, daytime sleepiness with sleep attacks, restless-legs syndrome (RLS) and REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD) are common in patients with PD. Given the limitations of current pharmacological treatments, non-pharmacological interventions, such as OMT, are increasingly being explored as adjunctive therapies to improve quality of life in PD patients. Prior studies have shown that hands-on OMT techniques have positive clinical outcomes with pain reduction, autonomic nervous system changes, sleeping patterns, blood and lymphatic flow. However, the evidence for OMT in PD is limited, and further research is needed to understand its potential benefits and optimal treatment protocols. This study evaluates the effect of a standardized OMT protocol on sleep quality in PD subjects through a randomized controlled trial.

Method: In this randomized non-blinded study, 32 PD subjects were separated by block randomization into counseling and OMT groups, receiving respective interventions twice a week for six weeks. The counseling arm received standardized informative sessions by a health care provider on health while the OMT arm received a standardized treatment protocol developed by NMM/OMM board certified osteopathic physicians. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was measured prior to the first session, at week six, and at week 10 (following a four-week washout period).

Results: 13 subjects (30% female, 70% male) aged 72 ± 11.3 with an average Hoehn and Yahr score of 2.1 ± 0.79 completed the protocol. Although a repeated measures ANOVA showed no significant interaction between the PSQI (p > 0.05) there was an upward trend in the counseling group that may have clinical relevance.

Conclusion: The standardized OMT protocol did not significantly impact sleep quality in PD, however limitations of the study may have impeded possible findings. Further studies with OMT techniques targeting barriers to sleep in a larger sample size are needed.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/exploring-the-complementary-approach-of-a-standardized-osteopathic-treatment-protocol-on-sleep-quality-in-parkinsons-disease-a-randomized-controlled-study/