The possibilities of using local thermometry to objectify the effect of osteopathic correction in patients with dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level

Abstract

Introduction. Neurological manifestations of osteochondrosis of the spine are among the most common processes contributing to the onset of chronic pain syndrome. For a number of reasons, there are still diffi culties in treatment of this group of diseases. That is why in recent years the interest of the medical community to non-medicamentous methods of treatment, such as osteopathy, has reasonably increased. At the same time, the problem of objectifying somatic dysfunctions, as well as the results of osteopathic treatment, is quite acute.Goal of research — to assess the dynamics of the local temperature in the zones of regional somatic dysfunctions against the background of osteopathic treatment in patients with dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level.Materials and methods. Longitudinal study was carried out in the specialized osteopathic clinic «Mokhov Institute of Osteopathy» from 01.2018 to 06.2018. The study involved 18 patients aged 25 to 45 years with dorsopathy at the cervicothoracic level. All patients underwent a clinical osteopathic examination. A visual analogue pain scale was used to assess the severity of the pain syndrome. Local thermometry was performed in the areas of identifi ed regional somatic dysfunctions. Each patient underwent individual osteopathic treatment based on the results of osteopathic diagnosis. At the time of the study patients did not receive any other treatment.Results. Against the background of osteopathic treatment, the mean number of revealed somatic dysfunctions decreased from 9±0,5 to 4±0,2 (p<0,05) per patient. Prior to treatment, there was a decrease in the local temperature and the presence of signifi cant thermic asymmetry in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and pelvic regions. In the region of the head, on the contrary, there was an increase in the local temperature. In other regions the level of thermal asymmetry was insignifi cant. After osteopathic correction, a statistically signifi cant (p<0,05) dynamics (a decrease in the expression of thermic asymmetry) was obtained in the following regions: the cervical region (the structural component), the thoracic region (the structural component), the lumbar region (the structural component), the region of the head. Also, the treatment contributed to the signifi cant reduction in the severity of pain syndrome in patients.Conclusion. At the present stage, non-pharmacological methods of treatment can signifi cantly expand the possibilities of therapy and rehabilitation of different kinds of patients including neurological ones. The local thermometry method can potentially be used to objectify the effect of osteopathic treatment.