Abstract

Background: During the last 50 years, the efficacy of medication in the treatment of gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) has increased with introduction of histamine 2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors. Surgical treatment is effective, but irreversibleand complications may occur. Is it possible to develop an effective treatment procedure beside pharmaceuticals and surgery?
Objective: To describe Osteopathic Manual Therapy (OMT) techniques and investigate the effect in patients suffering from GERD.
Design: The study performed as an open, single-centre, one-armed interventional trial.
Material: Eighteen female and four male GERD patients, mean age and disease duration of 47.4 years and 20.4 months, recruited from one single OMT practice.
Method: The patients received three to 12OMT interventions consisting of thoracic spine and diaphragm mobilisation, traction of the cardia and posture correction. The interval between interventions was one week and the effect recorded as “none,” “slight,” “moderate” or “good.” The presence of heartburn, retrosternal pain, acid in the mouth, epigastric pain and tension or pain in the lower thoracic spine recorded before and three month after the last treatment.
Results: The prevalence and total number of GERD symptoms were significantly reduced (p << 0.01) and only two patients reported an unchanged situation. A “moderate” or “good” effect reported by 77.3 % of the patients. In 19 patients with extended thoracic kyphosis and reduced extension, 78.9 % reported a “moderate” or “good” treatment effect. No differences detected between patients using and not using additional GERD pharmaceuticals.
Conclusions: The results indicate a positive effect of OMT in the treatment of GERD.