Tongue stretching: technique and clinical proposal.

OBJECTIVES: The tongue is an organ with multiple functions, from sucking to phonation, from swallowing to postural control and equilibrium. An incorrect position or mechanics of the tongue can causes sucking problems in the newborn or atypical swallowing in the adult, with repercussions on the position of the head and neck, up to influencing upright posture and other problems. Tongue dysfunctions are quite frequent (10-15%) in the population. For the manual therapist, this frequency indicates one to two subjects every 30 patients. Exercises have been proposed to improve the tone and strength of the swallowing muscles but the results are not so clear in the literature. The aim of this study is to describe and provide a tongue muscle normalization technique that helps the manual therapist in the treatment of problems related to it. METHODS: The literature has been investigated through pubmed, Google scholar of the last 10 years, the keywords used and combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR, are: "tongue, tongue habits, tongue diseases, taste disorder, neck pain, posture, postural balance, atypical swallowing, muscle stretching exercise, tissue expansion, soft tissue therapy, osteopathic manipulative treatment". RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The technique is possible to be executed even in a sitting position, in the case the patient is unable to assume a supine position, the subject should provides immediate feedback that allows the therapist to understand if the technique has been correctly executed. The simplicity of execution and application of the technique makes it a possible and immediate therapeutic tool in the clinical setting.

Endocannabinoids release after Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. A brief review.

OBJECTIVES: Since 70's, scientific research has analyzed how many acute and chronic issues can affect body systems. In case of depression, chronic pain and overtraining, centrals and peripherals systems act to manage and maintain body adaptations. The aim of this study is to evaluate if the osteopathic treatment can increase the release of Cannabinoid receptor (CB) and promote the linkage with their receptors. CONTENT: Documents research is based on PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Keywords used were "osteopathic treatment", "manual therapy", "endocannabinoid", "beta endorphin (BE)", and " CB1" "massage". From 70 articles collected (published in the last 10 years) 52 were excluded as non-relevant to the study aim. SUMMARY: The Key points have been the similar results found by different authors during different treatment periods and with different doses. From 22 articles examined, 13 have established positive effects on CB increasing post osteopathic treatment, three articles have indicated the most targeted tissues in which the substances are most expressed, two articles indicate how physical activities produce antalgic effects by increasing CB's values. OUTLOOK: As a result of this review, osteopathic manipulation treatment seems to be a valid and effective instrument for the treatment of a series of pathologies such as chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, spinal cord lesions, myofascial graft point, migraine, GI tract dysfunctions, and depression.

Ergojump evaluation of the explosive strength in volleyball athletes pre- and post-fascial treatment.

It has previously been demonstrated that physiological mechanisms are involved in muscle pain and fatigue, as the nociceptive afferents of the fascial system are able to modulate the afferent response of the central nervous system. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a sample of volleyball players, and investigate whether osteopathic treatment of the lower limb muscle groups improved the explosive force of the limbs, whilst reducing spasms and tension, releasing tissue strain and correcting posture. A randomized control study was performed to evaluate 57 athletes who underwent fascial manipulative treatment to assess if such treatment affected the muscle strength of the lower limbs. The treatment group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the squatting jump test (P<0.0001) and in the counter movement jump test (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the control group did not exhibit any improvement in the squatting jump test (P<0.56) or in the counter movement jump test (P<0.32). The results suggested that correction of the fascial system required a minimum time of 30 days in order to obtain an improvement of fascial mechanics and sports performance. Therefore, use of a fascial protocol during athletic training will help improve the balance of the bands and, as a direct consequence, improve the efficiency of the musculoskeletal system, thereby reducing the risk of injury. It would therefore be advisable to perform osteopathic treatment techniques every two months during an athletic season to maintain the balance of the fascial system and obtain the most efficient results.

Efficacy of osteopathic treatment in patients with stable moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled pilot study.

Background This randomized controlled pilot study evaluated the efficacy of osteopathic treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessed using spirometry, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and six minutes walking test (6MWT). The main goals were to improve the quality of life of patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD, and to revise the parameters of the assessment tests, such as spirometry and 6MWT. Methods The study comprised several phases and patients were divided into two groups: group A (controls) received conventional pharmacological treatment with Indacaterol-Glycopyrronium and, while group B (OMT group) received both traditional therapy and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) at different stages of the study. The osteopathic approach focused on maxillary sinus, vertebral-pleural ligaments, phrenic nerves, ribs, pleura, lungs, bronchi, subclavian muscles, and trapezoid and conoid ligaments. Results Overall, 32 patients were randomized and treated. Patients of the OMT group got better improvements in all tests compared to the control group: spirometry: FVC (p<0.5411), total FEV1 (p<0.5061); CAT: OMT (p<0.0005) - controls (p<0.188) 6MWT OMT (p<0.0038) - controls (p<0.5326). The clinical results collected in phase (T3) confirm those obtained in the first sessions; the results of CAT questionnaire (p<0.0005) and 6MWT (p