A Comparative Study of Cervical Hysteresis Characteristics: after Various Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Modalities

Despite apparent clinical benefits, few objective tissue texture measurements exist documenting change after osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). This study was designed to produce objective data demonstrating that a change does in fact take place after OMT. The Ultralign SA201® is a durometer capable of measuring hystersis characteristics. The SA201® was used in this study to analyze a portion of the cervical hysteresis curve to measure the changes in hysteresis that take place post OMT. It was noted that when comparing treated to untreated cervical spines, an appreciable objective change was observed. It is evident that not only does a subjective change in the fascia occur post-OMT, but a quantifiable objective change transpires as well.