A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated the potential of OMT to prevent lower limb injuries (specifically hamstring strains and ligament injuries) in young professional footballers.For those interested in the exact data: Methodology: A total of 38 young (mean age 17.8±0.44 years) male professional footballers participated in the study, who were randomly assigned to an OMT (n=20) or control (n=18) group. At baseline, both groups underwent osteopathic examination. In addition, a sit-and-reach test, a vertical jump test, a handgrip strength test, a range-of-motion test of the cervical spine, and a balance assessment were performed. Results: In the OMT group, there was a significant improvement in all dysfunctions as well as in the dysfunctional assessment of the pivot points (at L3 and C2). Furthermore, an interaction between time and group was reported in favor of the OMT group in the sit-and-reach measurement. There was also an improvement in static balance with eyes open in the OMT group. Conclusion: Osteopathic treatment of the pivot points was able to increase the sit-and-reach measure, improve postural control with eyes open, and improve dysfunctional patterns of the lumbosacral and upper cervical spine in professional footballers. Thus, OMT could be used as a preventive treatment for football players (Thomas et al. 2022). Thomas E, Petrucci M, Barretti M, et al. Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment of the pivots on lower limb function in young professional football players. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Published online 2022
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) improves lower limb function in young professional footballers
A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigated the potential of OMT to prevent lower limb injuries (specifically hamstring strains and ligament injuries) in young professional footballers.For those interested in the exact data:Methodology: A total of 38 young (mean age 17.8±0.44 years) male professional footballers participated in the study, who were randomly assigned to an OMT (n=20) or control (n=18) group. At baseline, both groups underwent osteopathic examination. A sit-and-reach test, vertical jump test, handgrip strength test, and range-of-motion test of the cervical spine and balance assessment were also performed. Results: In the OMT group, there was a significant improvement in all dysfunctions as well as in the dysfunctional assessment of the pivot points (at L3 and C2). In addition, an interaction between time and group was reported in favor of the OMT group in sit-and-reach measurements. Furthermore, there was an improvement in static balance with eyes open in the OMT group. Conclusion: Osteopathic treatment of the pivot points was able to increase the measure of sit-and-reach, improve open-eye postural control, and improve dysfunctional patterns of the lumbosacral and upper cervical spine in professional football players. Thus, OMT could be used as a preventive treatment for football players (Thomas et al. 2022). Thomas E, Petrucci M, Barretti M, et al. Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment of the pivots on lower limb function in young professional football players. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Published online 2022
