Possibility of osteopathic correction inclusion in the complex treatment of anal incontinence in teenagers

Abstract

Introduction. Anal incontinence (insufficiency of the anal sphincter) is a disease in which there is an uncontrolled discharge of intestinal contents through the anal canal when it is impossible to keep the episode of defecation to an acceptable place, which is a socially significant problem. Patients suffering from anal incontinence experience a feeling of psychoemotional inferiority and are often socially maladjusted. Insufficiency of the anal sphincter is a widespread pathology. The course of therapy is, as a rule, complex, and usually includes the use of medications, cleansing enemas, as well as non-drug methods of treatment (exercise therapy, massage, physiotherapy). At the same time, information on the possibility of including such a method of non-drug treatment as osteopathic correction in the complex therapy of anal incontinence in the available literature has not been found.The aim of the research was to study the possibility of including osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of anal sphincter insufficiency in teenagers.Materials and methods. The study involved 32 teenagers with functional anal sphincter incontinence, aged 14–17 years, undergoing treatment in the department of surgery. The patients were divided into 2 groups by the method of simple randomization — the main group (16 people, they received osteopathic correction in addition to the standard treatment) and the control group (16 people, they received only the standard treatment). At the beginning and at the end of the study there were assessed the osteopathic status and the disease severity using the Wexner scale and the Browning–Parks scale. The obtained results were analyzed by methods of nonparametric statistics. Results. It was found that the inclusion of osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of teenagers with anal sphincter insufficiency is accompanied by a statistically significant (p<0,05) decrease in the severity of the disease. It was revealed that children suffering from anal sphincter insufficiency are characterized by a high frequency of detection of regional (pelvic region, lumbar region) and local (some skull sutures, rectum, ascending and descending colon) somatic dysfunctions. After osteopathic correction, the frequency of detecting regional and local dysfunctions in teenagers is statistically significantly lower (p<0,05) compared with children who did not receive osteopathic correction.Conclusion. The obtained results demonstrated the ability to include the osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of teenagers with anal sphincter insufficiency.