Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as an Intervention to Reduce Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in First Responders: A Pilot Study.

Authors: Christena Abraham, Shelly N B Sloan, Charles Coker, Blair Freed, Matthew McAuliffe, Halden Nielsen et al.Journal: Missouri medicinePublished: October 19, 2021DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030668

Q3 JournalSJR: 0.308h-index: 20SCImago

Preliminary EvidencePilot

Anxiety Chronic Stress Depression

In Plain Language: anxiety, explained

A pilot study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in alleviating symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression among first responders. Results indicated that OMT may improve mental health self-assessments and positively affect biological markers associated with these conditions. These findings suggest that OMT could enhance the overall well-being of those in high-stress occupations.

Key Findings: what this pilot study found about anxiety

✓Participants showed improved mental health self-assessments after treatment.
✓Biomarkers related to stress and anxiety demonstrated positive changes post-OMT.
✓The study indicates potential benefits of OMT for first responders dealing with stress-related issues.

What This Means for You

For individuals considering reflexology to manage stress, anxiety, and depression, this study implies that treatments like OMT can lead to measurable improvements in mental health, making it a potentially beneficial option.

What This Means for Practitioners

Reflexology practitioners could integrate findings from this study by considering OMT techniques in their practices to address stress-related symptoms in clients, particularly those in high-pressure roles such as first responders.

Study Design: how this pilot study was run

Blinding

open label

Control

none

Duration

6 weeks

Limitations: what it cannot tell you about anxiety

The study's small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, as a pilot study, it was not designed for extensive statistical analysis.

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Anxiety: common questions

What does this study say about anxiety?

What did this study find?

Participants showed improved mental health self-assessments after treatment. Biomarkers related to stress and anxiety demonstrated positive changes post-OMT. The study indicates potential benefits of OMT for first responders dealing with stress-related issues.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a pilot study and we rate its evidence preliminary. It was published in Missouri medicine, a Q3 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.

What are the limitations of this study?

The study's small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, as a pilot study, it was not designed for extensive statistical analysis.