{"id":4368,"date":"2022-12-15T13:15:30","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T12:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psychosomatic-osteopathy.com\/spinal-mobilisation-leads-to-positive-changes-in-skin-conductance-respiratory-rate-blood-pressure-and-heart-rate\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T09:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T08:59:34","slug":"spinal-mobilisation-leads-to-positive-changes-in-skin-conductance-respiratory-rate-blood-pressure-and-heart-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psychosomatic-osteopathy.com\/en\/spinal-mobilisation-leads-to-positive-changes-in-skin-conductance-respiratory-rate-blood-pressure-and-heart-rate\/","title":{"rendered":"Spinal mobilisation leads to positive changes in skin conductance, respiratory rate, blood pressure and heart rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

In osteopathy, various techniques are used to treat pain and movement restrictions. In particular, those that influence the activity of the sympathetic nervous system are relevant for pain therapy, as the experience of pain is related to sympathetic tone. This review investigated the effects of passive joint mobilisation on the sympathetic nervous system. Passive spinal mobilisation refers to graded, passive and oscillatory movements performed on the spine, carried out to the end of the available range of motion. However, this review does not address the effects of high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust manipulations and mobilisations with movement (MWM), in order to avoid conflating the mechanisms of action.For those interested in the exact data:<\/strong>Methods<\/strong>:Relevant databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that examined at least one sympathetic event (blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance and temperature, respiratory rate) after\/during spinal mobilisation. Studies with or without a control intervention were accepted. The quality of the RCTs was assessed by two independent reviewers.Results<\/strong>:Seven studies were included in the systematic review, and one study involved a symptomatic population. Five studies reported changes in sympathetic tone after mobilisation of the cervical spine, one after mobilisation of the thoracic spine, and one after mobilisation of the lumbar spine. All studies included in this review were rated as high quality according to the PEDro rating scale.  In all studies, an increase in sympathetic values was observed after mobilisation of spinal segments, regardless of their location. After synthesising the results, positive changes in skin conductance, respiratory rate, blood pressure and heart rate were observed in the healthy population. In the study involving the symptomatic population, evidence was found for an increase in skin conductance and a decrease in skin temperature after spinal mobilisation. However, the evidence for these findings is limited, and further studies investigating sympathetic activity after spinal mobilisation in a symptomatic population are therefore required (Kingston et al. 2014).LiteratureKingston L, Claydon L, Tumilty S. The effects of spinal mobilizations on the sympathetic nervous system: A systematic review. Man Ther<\/i>. 2014;19(4):281-287https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/24814903\/<\/a> <\/p>\n