Six years and a thousand patients: Retrospective study of the osteopathic experience in a rehabilitation center

Abstract

The Pôle Saint-Hélier decided to include osteopathy as an analgesic treatment in its multidisciplinary rehabilitation care for their patients since January 2011. This decision was made after a medical committee debate and an assessment by the CLuD. The treatment is done only with a prescription from a certified osteopath. A decision tree was set up with a list of osteopathic indication for the treated population. This is an assessment after 6 years in place. The data was collected from a file review. The selected criteria are: the pain's intensity appraised by a numerical scale (prime criterion), the morning stiffness’ time, the number of nocturnal awakenings, the use of an analgesic treatment and the joints’ mobility (secondary criteria). In total, 1021 patients benefited from an osteopathic care. Most had an objective of pain treatment for the rachis (n = 553), the upper limb (n = 205) and the lower limb (n = 192). After an osteopathic assessment, there was no osteopathic indication for 129 patients. The patients had seen a doctor as part of an orthopaedic (n = 748) or a neurological (n = 280) affliction. For the main criterion, average pain was reduced by 3.375 points. In addition, the number of nocturnal awakenings decreased by 1.4 unities, the morning stiffness’ time dropped by 33.8 minutes. No serious adverse event happened during these 6 years. The practise of osteopathy in the Pôle Saint-Hélier since 2011 answers to the French National Medicinal Academy recommendation concerning the use of additional therapies. Thanks to its introduction in a physical medicine and rehabilitation centre, additional possibilities can be used in managing pain. The rigorous respect for osteopathic treatment indications means no secondary effects and alongside a significant improvement of symptomatic pain.