Effects of manual osteopathic interventions on psychometric and psychophysiological indicators of anxiety, depression and stress in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Authors: Tom C Gordon, Josh Hope-Bell, Jerry Draper-Rodi, Andrew MacMillan, Danny Miller, Darren J EdwardsJournal: BMJ openPublished: February 7, 2025DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095933

Q1 JournalSJR: 2.867h-index: 44SCImago

Moderate EvidenceMeta Analysisn=20 participants

Anxiety Chronic Stress Depression

In Plain Language: anxiety, explained

A recent study evaluated the effects of osteopathic and related manual interventions on adult mental health, specifically targeting conditions like depression and anxiety. The findings indicate that these therapies can significantly reduce depression levels and improve certain physiological markers, especially in individuals experiencing pain. This research is important as it suggests alternative therapeutic options for improving mental health.

Key Findings: what this meta-analysis found about anxiety

✓Interventions reduced depression with a standardised effect size of -0.47.
✓Greater improvements in depression were seen in pain populations (effect size -0.61).
✓Interventions increased skin conductance as a physiological marker (effect size 0.67).
✓Results indicated moderate heterogeneity and uncertainty in effect estimates.

What This Means for You

For individuals suffering from depression, particularly those with chronic pain, reflexology and similar therapies may offer valuable relief, as studies show these treatments can effectively lower depression levels.

What This Means for Practitioners

Reflexology practitioners can apply these findings by integrating manual interventions into their practices, especially for clients dealing with mental health issues such as depression, while noting the beneficial effects observed in patients reporting pain.

Study Design: how this meta-analysis was run

Blinding

open label

Control

none

Duration

varied across studies

Sample Size

20 participants

Limitations: what it cannot tell you about anxiety

The study is limited by the wide prediction intervals that indicate uncertainty in the true effect sizes and the small sample sizes of included studies.

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Anxiety: common questions

What does this study say about anxiety?

What did this study find?

Interventions reduced depression with a standardised effect size of -0.47. Greater improvements in depression were seen in pain populations (effect size -0.61). Interventions increased skin conductance as a physiological marker (effect size 0.67).

How strong is this evidence?

This is a meta-analysis and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 20 participants. It was published in BMJ open, a Q1 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.

What are the limitations of this study?

The study is limited by the wide prediction intervals that indicate uncertainty in the true effect sizes and the small sample sizes of included studies.