Disclosures: Danielle K. Emmet, DO: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective : Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is a non-pharmacological treatment alternative for pain. Interoceptive body awareness (IBA) is a mechanism of action in mind-body approaches to pain. This study aimed to determine whether experience with OMT was associated with different levels of IBA and whether covariates (mind-body practices, non-Osteopathic body work, and lifetime exposure to physical and emotional trauma) play a role in this association. Secondary objective was to assess pain outcomes in response to a single OMT session.
Design: Pragmatic pilot cohort study comparing two groups: OMT-Naive (no OMT in past 3mo, < 3 lifetime sessions) and OMT-Experienced (OMT in past 3mo, >5 lifetime sessions). Outcomes assessed pre and post a OMT session, and at 1 and 3 weeks follow up.
Setting : Academic OMT Lab.
Participants : Adults seeking OMT for pain
Interventions: All participants received individualized OMT as usual care. Practitioners were blinded to patients’ enrollment status.
Main Outcome Measures: IBA measured with Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2; 37 items on 8 scales). Pain outcomes assessed with PROMIS pain scales and Global Rating of Change scale.
Results: Sample (N=36) 63% female, mean age 33, 100% retention rate. OMT-N n=19, OMT-E n=17. OMT-E scored higher than OMT-N on MAIA scales “Not-worrying” (p = 0.002) and “Trusting” (p = 0.028) at baseline, not influenced by covariates. No significant differences in MAIA scores after a single OMT session. Pain outcomes significantly decreased post-OMT, with diminishing effects over time.
Conclusions: Assessing IBA with MAIA in an academic clinical OMT setting is feasible. Results suggest a significant positive correlation between prior OMT experience and 2 of the 8 MAIA scales. OMT individualized to each participant improved pain outcomes in this study. Given that MAIA scores did not change with a single OMT session, future studies are necessary to better understand this relationship.
Level of Evidence: Level II
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Emmet DK, Shubrook JH, Mehling W, Pierce-Talsma S. Body Awareness in Patients Treated with Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Pain: A Pilot Study [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/body-awareness-in-patients-treated-with-osteopathic-manipulative-treatment-for-pain-a-pilot-study/. Accessed November 21, 2024.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/body-awareness-in-patients-treated-with-osteopathic-manipulative-treatment-for-pain-a-pilot-study/