Evidence-informed approach of sighs in the scope of osteopathic practice

Abstract

Osteopathic practice attaches great importance to the respiratory function in theoretical models, in the approach to respiratory disorders and in the use of breathing techniques for therapeutic purposes. The study of different parameters of breathing would be a way to deepen the application of breathing to osteopathic practice. In this respect, the sigh is a clinical element of interest.The osteopathic grey literature is rich in examples of the use of sighing in an empirical framework with interpretations during the anamnesis, the diagnostic and the therapeutic phases. Osteopaths' empirical experiences of sighing should be compared with available experimental data to improve the quality of osteopathic care. We are not aware of any study specifically related to sighing in an osteopathic context, but the psycho-physiological data on sighing is growing.This narrative review presents scientific data on the phenomenon of sighing. The physiological and pathophysiological conditions of sighing are presented in the context of the reasons for consultation encountered in osteopathic practice. The sigh as a diagnostic tool for various conditions is discussed. Therapeutic avenues explore how sighing could be an element in controlling the effects of osteopathic treatment, or an active element in the treatment itself. Finally, the place of the sigh as an element of communication within the consultation is described. In these different fields, the contribution of scientific data leads to several contradictions with the osteopathic empirical experience. This review describes avenues of future research needed to clarify the role that sighing might play in osteopathic practice.