Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• There is low to moderate evidence that supports osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) for pelvic, girdle or low back pain during pregnancy and postpartum.
• Non-specific effects of therapy play a role in outcomes as OMT was never shown to be superior to sham treatment even though it was shown to be superior to usual care or relaxation.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• Patient-rated measures such as quality of life, medication use, anxiety and exertion tend to improve irrespective of therapeutic modality
• Favourable changes in spirometric measures are usually seen in smaller, lower quality studies
• Lack of validated sham treatment is highlighted in several studies
• Published research on the treatment and management of asthma in adults and children is limited, and is of variable quality

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• There is a lack of sufficient high quality evidence of clinical benefit to support a recommendation for the use of ultrasound as a treatment for low back pain or sciatica and or peripheral joints.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• There is moderate to high quality evidence of benefit for osteopathic treatment for pre-term infants on length of hospital stay.
• There is moderate quality evidence of benefit of manual therapy treatment for infants with ‘colic’ for reduced crying time.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• Kinesiology tape may offer short-term reduction in pain but does not appear to provide long-term pain relief
• Pain-reducing effects of kinesiology tape may not be large enough to be significant to patients
• Kinesiology tape appears safe, relatively cheap, and no serious adverse effects were reported in the literature reviewed

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• There is strong evidence suggesting that exercise in general can help patients manage the pain of hip and knee osteoarthritis.
• Appropriate exercise can be prescribed irrespective of age, pain level, comorbidity and disability.
• Catering to the patient’s specific needs and circumstances may improve adherence, which is important for improvements in outcomes.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can positively influence the way in which individuals respond to and cope with pain experiences. Evidence that MBIs alter the experience of pain itself is weak.
• Depression is a common comorbidity, and patients with persistent pain are more likely to have higher levels of anxiety symptoms.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• For rotator cuff disorders, Exercise therapy — including stretching, range of motion exercises, and strengthening — may result in greater pain reduction when combined with other therapies, including manual therapy and acupuncture.
• For frozen shoulder, exercise should only be recommended once movement can be tolerated after the acute phase.

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Key messages from this Snapshot Summary include:

• Tendinopathy is generally accepted to be the result of tendon derangement and adverse mechanical loading, in the absence of inflammation.
• For patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy, there is low-to moderate quality evidence supporting the use of manual therapy to reduce pain, but not to improve function.

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This Snapshot Summary is available as a PDF to download: What evidence is there for osteopathy? Read more