Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as an Intervention to Reduce Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in First Responders: A Pilot Study

Mo Med. 2021 Sep-Oct;118(5):435-441.

Abstract

In this pilot study, we examined the efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) for improving symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression (SAD) to determine a correlation between overall improvement in health and quality of life for first responders. Participants received weekly OMT or sham OMT targeting autonomic imbalance. Indicators of SAD were examined pre- and post-study. Overall, this pilot study suggests improvement in both the social-psychological (mental) self-assessments, and alterations in SAD-associated biomarkers from OMT.

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / therapy
  • Depression / therapy
  • Emergency Responders*
  • Humans
  • Manipulation, Osteopathic*
  • Pilot Projects
  • Quality of Life