Changes in biomechanical dysfunction and low back pain reduction with osteopathic manual treatment: results from the OSTEOPATHIC Trial

230 patients, between the ages of 21 and 69, who had been experiencing persistent/chronic low back pain for 3 months, were randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups (in the OSTEOPATHIC Trial) to determine the effect osteopathic manual treatment (OMT) and ultrasound had on chronic low back pain. Patients took part in a treatment regimen either consisting of OMT and active ultrasound, or OMT and sham ultrasound. Results from the OSTEOPATHIC Trial suggested that ultrasound had no significant effect on low back pain outcomes, and so, a secondary analysis was completed to determine the effect OMT had on biomechanical dysfunction. Results from this secondary analysis indicated that OMT led to significant improvements in each biomechanical dysfunction category (Non-neutral lumbar dysfunction, pubic shear, innominate shear, restricted sacral nutation, psoas syndrome) and that remission of psoas syndrome was the only change in biomechanical dysfunction that significantly predicted subsequent low back pain response.