A new outcome research study from Italy investigated the efficacy and tolerability of treating infants with deformational plagiocephaly with OMT within 12 months and found that the osteopathic approach led to a significant reduction in all plagiocephalometric indices.For those interested in the exact data:Methods:A total of 35 infants under 6 months of age with unilateral deformational plagiocephaly or brachycephaly met the inclusion criteria and were thus included in the study. The indices measured were the “Oblique Diameter Difference Index,” the “Cranial Proportional Index,” and the “Ear Deviation Index.” In addition to treating the infants with OMT, parents received additional postural counseling for further support. Furthermore, parental satisfaction was assessed using questionnaires.Results:After 12 months of treatment with osteopathic manipulative therapy (plus postural counseling) with an average of 6.5 sessions, all indices decreased significantly. Furthermore, no undesirable side effects occurred. Overall, parents were satisfied with the treatment approach.Conclusions: The authors concluded that OMT for infants with deformational plagiocephaly can be considered a promising therapeutic option as an extension of standard treatment. Further multicenter randomized controlled trials were recommended for further evaluation of this therapeutic approach (Gasperini et al. 2021).Gasperini M, Vanacore N, Massimi L, et al. Effects of osteopathic approach in infants with deformational plagiocephaly: an outcome research study. Minerva Pediatr. Published online 2021
Osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) can be successfully applied to infants with deformed plagiocephalus
A new outcome research study from Italy examined the efficacy and tolerability of treating infants with deformed plagiocephalus with OMT within 12 months and found that the osteopathic approach resulted in a significant reduction in all plagiocephalometric indices. Those interested in the exact data:Methods:A total of 35 infants younger than 6 months of age with unilateral deformity of plagiocephaly or brachycephaly met the inclusion criteria and were thus included in the study. The indices measured were the “Oblique Diameter Difference Index,” the “Cranial Proportional Index,” and the “Ear Deviation Index.” In addition to treating the infants with OMT, the parents received additional postural counseling for further support. Furthermore, the parents’ satisfaction was recorded by questionnaires. Results:After 12 months of treatment with osteopathic manipulative therapy (plus postural counseling) with an average of 6.5 sessions, all indices decreased significantly. Furthermore, there were no undesirable side effects. Overall, parents were satisfied with the treatment approachConclusions:The authors concluded that OMT for infants with deformed plagiocephalus can be considered a promising therapeutic option as an extension of standard treatment. Further multicenter randomized controlled trials were recommended to further evaluate this therapeutic approach (Gasperini et al. 2021).Gasperini M, Vanacore N, Massimi L, et al. Effects of osteopathic approach in infants with deformational plagiocephaly: an outcome research study. Minerva Pediatr. Published online 2021
