Evaluation of visceral osteopathic treatment on stabilometric parameters in 10 asymptomatic subjects.
“Posture is the meeting point between the individual’s inner universe and the outer universe. It is sustained as it feels inside, but also depending on the external environment in which it is at a given moment.”
J. Samuel and G. Barette
Summary: When dealing with a patient with mechanical pain in the spine, whether in medicine or physical therapy, the professional’s last concern is to understand how the visceral system works.
In posturology, we are looking for the sensor that can disturb postural regulations and cause chronic pain. The posturologist will first identify the postural syndrome and then look for the sensor that causes this postural disharmony. This involves carrying out a series of tests that will affect the labyrinth, the oculomotor system, the spine, the feet and the temporomandibular joint.
But how can all these analyzes be carried out without considering the visceral system and, furthermore, the cognitive and behavioral system?
The success of the treatments carried out in patients with chronic pain in the spine through visceral osteopathic treatment makes us think that one of the ways to clinically improve these patients lies in improving their posture.
In the first part, we will talk about different scientific studies that show that the visceral system is also a sensor, just like the labyrinth, the foot, the eye and proprioception. Then, we will justify the interest of visceral osteopathy in the treatment of this visceral sensor.
The second part will be dedicated to the clinical study that we have carried out to demonstrate the usefulness of visceral osteopathic treatment in postural dysfunctions of visceral origin. This work has highlighted the fundamental role of organs in the regulation of posture and their interaction with other sensory systems.
We have explained the osteopathic approach and the different concepts in visceral osteopathy. We have shown that a visceral osteopathic treatment can improve certain stabilometric parameters, such as the length in posterior chain.
The results are not long-lasting (three weeks after treatment), which is because our approach is not a treatment, but simply information about an organ at a given time. This confirms the basic principles of osteopathy that each part, taken separately, does not constitute an osteopathic treatment, but simply a technique that is meaningless without the involvement of other factors (need for a structure-function interaction to allow lasting self-regulation ).
However, by applying a maneuver that lasted 5 minutes, we were able to observe significant changes and others close to significance, which is important in a young, asymptomatic population without postural dysfunctions.
This work also highlights the importance of posturology and osteopathy working together. The force platform is a tool that allows communication with other health professionals and facilitates communication with the patient, which is essential today.
A future study could analyze whether there is a correlation between the osteopathic diagnosis and the analysis of frequency peaks after the fast Fourier transform. In this way, the osteopath would have a scientifically recognized examination to validate their osteopathic diagnosis and advance towards specialization in osteopathy.
“According to the way each one advances, we can see if he has found his way. The man who approaches his goal no longer walks, he dances.”
Friedrich Nietzsche.
